Fortis
by Isla13
Summary: Suri is a warrior of the Fortis clan. Her older brother, Haru, turned on her and their family when their mother died in a raid from the nearby village. When one small arrow gets a little out of hand, Suri's father named for the proud hunter of an animal, Wolf, decides it's time to end the fighting once and for all.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

"Focus your mind. All of your concentration has to be on your surroundings. Fix your stance, you know this. Pull your elbow back, not your wrist, Child, this isn't your first day. Don't lose your life because of a childish mistake." he said in a low voice as he slowly circled her.

"Sorry, Sir." she mumbled, adjusting her position, before glancing to him for approval. He nodded, and pulled back an arrow of his own bow. Silence seemed to drag on forever as he drew in a long breath. He waited as a small leaf drifted down from the branches of a nearby tree. Releasing his grip, he let the arrow free of its string. Streaking forward, the arrow pegged the small leaf to the trunk of a tree about 300 or so yards away. "Hah! Going easy today, aren't you? Do you think nothing of me?" she sneered, taking aim. She took a deep breath and released it as she let her arrow fly. Easily surpassed her mentors, all momentum suddenly lost with a resounding thud as it struck the trunk of a thin tree around 400 yards away. She grinned as she turned to glare at her mentor with a challenge in her eyes. He gave a small nod of approval.

"You've done well." he murmured softly, a small smile on his lips. "Shall we try your hand at swords today, then?" he inquired as he turned away.  
She made a face at his back before plastering an innocent grin on her face as he turned a glare on her over his shoulder. "Mind telling me what that was about?"

"Bother... Do we have to spar with swords today? You'll just win in half a minute. I can't win against the man who taught me, my movements are basically the exact as yours." she grumbled, walking briskly to catch up to him.

"Then we should be evenly matched, should we not?" he asked, glancing at her intently.

"But you-" he cut her off, raising a hand for silence. He closed his eyes, listening closely. A moment later, came the just barely audible whistle from far off through the trees. He gave a loud, annoyed sigh.

"I must leave you now. I'm needed back at the camp." he growled, walking towards the tree line. He paused in his tracks, turning back around, to face his apprentice. She waited, not moving, until he beckoned her to him. Carefully, she stepped forward, crossing the clearing to stop about a foot away from the bigger man. "I believe that you are ready to become a warrior." he said solemnly. Her eyes flashed up to his.

"But Sir, I-" he raised a hand, again, for silence.

"You've trained long and hard. And it is my belief that you are ready." he said softly. She lowered her eyes and gave a single nod. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her gaze to his. She found his eyes staring down at hers with a piercing intensity. A look she'd hardly ever seen. A glimpse of pride. After a moment, he began to speak in a clear voice. "Suri Minamoto, your strongest weapon by far is the bow and arrow. Loyal apprentice for four years, longer than most, but therefore the most experience. You are the most devoted apprentice I have ever, and will ever train. You follow command with..." he trailed off, trying to decide on his next word. "Well, we'll just say you get the job done, despite the amount of complaint. You have grown to become a fine archer. Do you swear to defend and fight for your clan, even if it means your demise?"

"Yes." he said, her eyes shining in excitement.

"And should the task fall to you, do you swear to lead and guide those who depend on you with clarity, wisdom and valor?"

"I swear," she said as strongly as her wavering voice could allow.

"Then you are now a full member of this clan. You have already shown your devotion years ago; as such, I have made the decision to make you leader of the warrior sector. The clan will welcome a warrior of such skill, loyalty, and promise. Welcome to the clan." he smiled down at her proudly.

"Leader...?" she gawked openly.

"Yes, Leader," he chuckled. "Ah, that reminds me..." he dug about in his pocket and removed a silver chain, with a small crystal dangling from its clasp. She held up her hair as he clipped the chain behind her neck. She dropped her hair as he stepped back. "Beautiful." he whispered. "Oh, and one more thing." he added, waving her over as he strode over to the trunk of an old tree, where the center had long since rotted away. She watched, intrigued, as he carefully reached inside. "I've been saving this for you." he said as he pulled out the bow. It was a beautifully white bow, it looked as if it was made of ivory, though it clearly held the texture and weight of skillfully crafted wood. The bow was decorated all over with golden designs that glimmered in the sunlight that managed to reach through the trees. She stared, wide-eyed as he placed it in her hands. "It is yours." he said, smiling at her. She stared at it still, not trusting her voice. Again, he turned to leave.

"Wolf?" she asked, barely loud enough to be heard.

"Wolf?" he asked, stopping in his tracks, still facing away from her. "Since when do you address me by my name?"

"Dad?" she tried again.

"That's better. Yes?"

"Thank you, Dad." she said wistfully.

"Hmm." he said, surprised. "This truly is a special day. It's not every day I hear a thank you out of you, Suri." he said, sighing as he disappeared into the protection of the denser forests.


	2. Chapter 1: The Visitors

_**Chapter 1: The Visitors**_

Suri had long brown hair that rounded off in the middle of her back. Her skin a light tan from spending her entire life outdoors, and her eyes an icy blue. She was strong for her size, muscle built up from the many years of training hadn't done much to make her _look_ any bigger. Her father, Wolf, had short brown hair that cut off at random, and stuck out in odd directions. He had light brown eyes, and a thick build that came from over forty years of training and fighting his way up to leader. He could snap from happy to furious in half a second, and was not an opponent to openly approach in battle if the life was valued.

Suri's sister, Trin, of nine years old, was about nine years younger than Suri, and the youngest in the family. Trin was almost old enough to become an apprentice, just as her siblings did before her. Trin had dirty blonde hair that hung loosely around her shoulders. Like her father, she had light brown eyes-the only thing she had in his likeness.

The oldest of the siblings was Suri's brother, Haru. He had the brown, wild hair of his father, though he wore it longer. Cutting off at his ear on his left side, and spiraling down to stop at his chin on his right, his eyes a startling green. Haru had turned his back on the family years ago, blaming Suri for the death of their mother. He left them to mourn not only the loss of their mother, but the loss of a brother and son as well. Trin hardly remembered him, the few moments she could recall were all dark. He had eventually started his own clan after running off, called the Mahna clan. They controlled the territory of the forest to the north that they had managed to conquer from the Fortis clan. Any outsiders who stepped on their land were quickly captured, terrorized and tormented before being killed in vile and unimaginable ways.

Fortis had been around for generations, each position of leadership passed to the child of the leader before them. Though any member of the clan within reasonable stature could step forward and challenge for the position. Suri had a strong feeling that many would choose to challenge her once the time came. If she were the one to take the position, she and many others knew- the fighting and death count would only grow worse and more frequent.

"There you are! Gosh, you took forever, I was beginning to think you weren't coming." Rachel greeted as Suri came into view.

"Sorry, I got distracted." Suri smiled. Rachel had been her best friend since they were children. Her dark brown hair had been very short back then, Suri had at first thought she was a boy. "Rachel, maybe we shouldn't do this today. That place is right on the boarder. If they see us- especially me- they might attack." Suri said hesitantly. Rachel made a face.

"But we _planned_ this! And you're never around anymore, I never see you. Come on, Suri, please?" Rachel begged, pulling her friend's arm, managing to move her nowhere. Suri gave a heavy sigh, and nodded, giving in. Rachel grinned and began to drag Suri towards the norther boarder.

They walked up to the old abandoned building carefully. Suri hated the open clearing that was in full view of any Mahna clan member who just happened to be by the boarder. The inside of the old building was not much to look at, but there was a small slab of stone someone had cut into the earth long ago that led underground. The river coursed under the building, and had long ago created the cavern. Suri never really understood how the ground had not given way yet, and guessed that the lack of safety was probably the reason the place had been abandoned in the first place. The cavern was a place her and Rachel had discovered about five years ago, and it had been their favorite place to escape to since.

Suri pushed the stubborn door open, and to her surprise, found that they were not alone. Crowded in the center of the room were about ten men, all joking and talking among themselves. From the marks on their arms, they were all from Mahna. Suri sucked in a breath as one of them called out in excitement. All at once, ten pairs of eyes stared directly at them. Suri moved, shoving Rachel behind her, and notching an arrow in her bow.

"Check it out! It's the sister!" one of them laughed, striding forward.

"What are you idiots doing here?" Suri hissed angrily. "This is Fortis territory!" she turned her aim on the one closest to them.

"Is it?" the guy challenged, still moving towards them. "Last I checked, this building lies on both of our lands." he sneered, drawing ever closer.

"Quit moving." she spat, shifting to keep herself between the man and Rachel. "Trespassers. This land was claimed under my father's name to the Fortis clan." the man laughed openly as he reached for his belt. Seeing the blade of a dagger, Suri gasped and released the arrow. The man screamed out in pain, stumbling back and away from her as the others ran forward. "Rachel, get out of here now!" Suri ordered to the frightened girl behind her.

"No, I won't leave you!" Rachel argued, shaking her head violently.

"Go!" Suri spat, sending another arrow through the closing gap. Another voice cried out in pain. But she was still too outnumbered to fight them all. "I wasn't asking!" Suri stumbled back as the crowd reached them. Rachel spun and began, finally, to flee, but was caught with a scream as someone yanked her back. "Let her go!" Suri seethed against the many arms restraining her. "Let her go, she has no quarrel with you!"

"She's a friend of yours, so she's an enemy of ours." a voice said laughingly in her ear. Suri's movements halted when she felt the chill of a blade touch her shoulder threateningly. She cringed, feeling the dagger grow warm, to uncomfortable, to burning on her skin. He pressed the flat of the burning blade against her upper arm. Suri cried out, but managed to stifle it, screwing her eyes shut as she struggled to pull away from the blade. The man holding the blade was a wizard. Wizardry is another sector of the camps, directly after warrior. Wizardry consisted of five classes: Fire, Ice, Storm, Life, and Energy. A wizard could master only one of the five schools, mastering two was unheard of. Most who attempted ended up mortally injuring themselves, or ended up dying from accidentally mixing up two or sometimes even more of the schools. Suri thrashed against the man restraining her arms in an attempt to free herself. Somewhere deep down, she was proud of Rachel at that moment for managing to kick one of them between the legs hard enough to send in to the ground. Suri's eyes widened as the man with the now white-hot blade brought the blade into her field of vision. Slowly, he began to bring the blade closer, purposefully keeping the blade close to her eye.

"Get away from me!" she stammered, trying again to lean away from the blade. She jumped, nearly causing herself to touch the blade as the doors of the building were shoved open.

"You keep away from her!" a loud voice echoed through the building from behind her. Suri breathed a heavy sigh of relief as a patrol of twenty Fortis members flooded through the doors.

"Dad!" Suri shrieked, struggling again to break free. Her father strode forward, his sword drawn and pointing threateningly at the man with the blade before her. None of the Hydra members dared to move.

"Release my daughter and her friend this instant or you will regret it, you can count on that." he seethed in a low, infuriated voice. After a moment of startled silence, the man holding her arms behind her back shoved her forward. Suri stumbled slightly, but managed to regain her balance in time to catch Rachel's panicked embrace. Her father moved to prick one of the men in the arm, on the mark indicating his loyalty. "Mahna clan. Send a message to your leader for me. You have brought this on yourself. These arguments have been going on long enough. Your clan will fall. Two weeks from next sunrise. The clearing at the edge of the territories. Bring your clan. We will fight. And this will end." with that, he turned and stalked out of the doors, closely followed by Suri, Rachel, and the crowd of Fortis members as the doors swung shut with a loud squeak behind them.


	3. Chapter 2: Kaito Yurushi

Chapter 3: Stupid Arrow

Suri paused as the door to the old building that she and Rachel had nearly been killed in only a few hours before. Kaito looked at her quizzically. "You're not _scared,_ are you?" he teased softly.

"No way!" she laughed a little too quickly. "Come on." she shoved the doors open and stepped inside with Kaito a step behind her. The crowd of Mahna was still there. They seemed to enjoy having competitions of who could let wounds fester the longest. The crowd looked up at the sound of the door.

"Well look who it is!" someone jeered. "It's the brat who needed _daddy's_ help! Aw, who's this? Her boyfriend?" Suri glared angrily at the speaker.

"Where's that kid?" she demanded curtly. Someone shoved him forward. He still had the arrow in his arm, clearly having been competing in the 'festering wound' game.

"I'll get it." Kaito said cheerfully, walking forward quickly.

"Kaito!" Suri spat, alarmed.

"Yes, Ma'am?" he smiled back at her, stopping his movements.

"First, don't call me that, I _hate_ that." she growled.

"It's what your father told us to call you when away from the clan. I'm not about to ignore his orders." Kaito responded.

"I don't care. Don't call me that. Second, do you know much about archery?" she inquired as if this were an everyday conversation, and they were not being stared at by ten pairs of hostile eyes.

"No, I'm afraid I don't. I'm not a warrior." he grinned.

"Then get back here. You'll damage the shaft and probably the arrow head. Now let me do it," she said, walking forward. She stopped next to him. "Kaito." she said very softly, making sure that the crowd of onlookers could not hear.

"Hmm?" he responded, looking at her from the corner of his eye. A smile still rested on his lips, but his eyes showed her he was serious and tense.

"If anything happens to me, get yourself out. That's an order." she muttered.

"But I took an oath to your f-"

"That's an _order!_ Understand?" she interrupted fiercely.

"Understood." he said softly, giving a small nod of his head. She looked forward again, walking towards the man.

"Disarm yourself so we know that you will not be stupid." the man said flatly. She glared at him, but took her quiver off of her shoulder, tossing it back to Kaito who caught it with one hand. Again, she started towards the man. "I said _disarm yourself."_ he hissed threateningly. Suri rolled her eyes, but lifted her foot, drawing the long dagger from her boot, and skidding it along the ground back to Kaito. She glowered at the man, and continued towards him. Walking up to him, she kept her eyes locked on his, ready for any sudden movements.

"Do _not_ move." she said slowly, beginning to work the arrow out of his arm. Eventually, she freed it from its place in his arm.

"Suri!" Kaito's voice rang through the air too late. She cried out in startled pain as a sharp pain shot through her from the small of her back.

"I thought you'd _want_ both of them back." a man laughed from beside her. Suri heard three long low whistles come from Kaito through her wavering hearing.

"No, I am not all right!" she snapped at the communicated question. Kaito appeared at her side as her knees buckled underneath her. Even through the hazing vision, she _knew_ that he had not run over to her. He had physically appeared beside her out of will. "What did you..." she trailed off, startled. "I gave you... an order... Kaito Yurushi... get out!" she gasped, crying out in pain as he picked her off the ground.

"Sorry, Chief. As long as you're alive, that's one order I'm ignoring." he huffed, running for the exit. She saw the doors close behind them as she finally slipped into unconsciousness.


	4. Chapter 3: Stupid Arrow

Chapter 3: Stupid Arrow

Suri paused as the door to the old building that she and Rachel had nearly been killed in only a few hours before. Kaito looked at her quizzically. "You're not _scared,_ are you?" he teased softly.

"No way!" she laughed a little too quickly. "Come on." she shoved the doors open and stepped inside with Kaito a step behind her. The crowd of Mahna was still there. They seemed to enjoy having competitions of who could let wounds fester the longest. The crowd looked up at the sound of the door.

"Well look who it is!" someone jeered. "It's the brat who needed _daddy's_ help! Aw, who's this? Her boyfriend?" Suri glared angrily at the speaker.

"Where's that kid?" she demanded curtly. Someone shoved him forward. He still had the arrow in his arm, clearly having been competing in the 'festering wound' game.

"I'll get it." Kaito said cheerfully, walking forward quickly.

"Kaito!" Suri spat, alarmed.

"Yes, Ma'am?" he smiled back at her, stopping his movements.

"First, don't call me that, I _hate_ that." she growled.

"It's what your father told us to call you when away from the clan. I'm not about to ignore his orders." Kaito responded.

"I don't care. Don't call me that. Second, do you know much about archery?" she inquired as if this were an everyday conversation, and they were not being stared at by ten pairs of hostile eyes.

"No, I'm afraid I don't. I'm not a warrior." he grinned.

"Then get back here. You'll damage the shaft and probably the arrow head. Now let me do it," she said, walking forward. She stopped next to him. "Kaito." she said very softly, making sure that the crowd of onlookers could not hear.

"Hmm?" he responded, looking at her from the corner of his eye. A smile still rested on his lips, but his eyes showed her he was serious and tense.

"If anything happens to me, get yourself out. That's an order." she muttered.

"But I took an oath to your f-"

"That's an _order!_ Understand?" she interrupted fiercely.

"Understood." he said softly, giving a small nod of his head. She looked forward again, walking towards the man.

"Disarm yourself so we know that you will not be stupid." the man said flatly. She glared at him, but took her quiver off of her shoulder, tossing it back to Kaito who caught it with one hand. Again, she started towards the man. "I said _disarm yourself."_ he hissed threateningly. Suri rolled her eyes, but lifted her foot, drawing the long dagger from her boot, and skidding it along the ground back to Kaito. She glowered at the man, and continued towards him. Walking up to him, she kept her eyes locked on his, ready for any sudden movements.

"Do _not_ move." she said slowly, beginning to work the arrow out of his arm. Eventually, she freed it from its place in his arm.

"Suri!" Kaito's voice rang through the air too late. She cried out in startled pain as a sharp pain shot through her from the small of her back.

"I thought you'd _want_ both of them back." a man laughed from beside her. Suri heard three long low whistles come from Kaito through her wavering hearing.

"No, I am not all right!" she snapped at the communicated question. Kaito appeared at her side as her knees buckled underneath her. Even through the hazing vision, she _knew_ that he had not run over to her. He had physically appeared beside her out of will. "What did you..." she trailed off, startled. "I gave you... an order... Kaito Yurushi... get out!" she gasped, crying out in pain as he picked her off the ground.

"Sorry, Chief. As long as you're alive, that's one order I'm ignoring." he huffed, running for the exit. She saw the doors close behind them as she finally slipped into unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 4: Deadly Wound

Chapter 4: Deadly Wound

Suri sat up straight, soaking wet. She looked up to see Kaito standing over her with an upturned bucket in his hands, grinning down at her. "Well, good morning, sleeping beauty. Welcome back to the living." he grinned. Suri rolled her eyes and tried to get up. She gave a cry of pain and fell back, clutching onto her torso. "You might not want to move." Kaito added, cringing.

"Thanks for the late advice..." she groaned. "How long was I out...?"

"Out? Around an hour. Dead? A minute or two." he said calmly.

"Dead?! Then you... When did you... How did you... That means you... just... saved my life..." she gasped, staring up at him, wide-eyed. He laughed openly.

"If this is what you act like _every_ time you die, I don't want to see it again." he looked at her meaningfully through his smile. "So don't die again, all right?"

"I'll try. But I don't understand... It was only an arrow, not even shot from the bow, just driven into my back, how did it kill me?" she wondered out loud.

"Well, for one thing, Chief, you lost a lot of blood- my cloak is half red by the way. Second, they poisoned the arrow. It drained a lot of your energy. You didn't have enough strength to fight against it, let alone the loss of blood." he said, sitting down beside her.

"You can sense my energy level...? So you're an Energy class, then?" she asked.

"Something like that..." he answered vaguely.

"Why didn't you just pop out after you picked me up?" she asked. Kaito chuckled and looked down at her, smiling broadly.

"Pop?" he challenged. "If I'd _'popped'_ out, you wouldn't be here. I can't pull another with me. If I'd left with you in my arms, I would have disappeared from under you, and you would have fallen to the ground." he explained, leaning his head back against the tree.

"Where did you learn that?" she continued, intrigued. "I've never heard of anyone able to do that, I didn't even know it was possible."

"I learned it from a very old friend. I haven't seen him in quite some time." he added wistfully, not giving much detail.

"Kaito, I told you to leave. Why didn't you listen? Kaito, I put you in danger by that. I promised to protect this clan, and everyone in it, even if it means my life. I just broke my oath, Kaito. I'm supposed to protect you, not place you in danger. Why didn't you leave me there?" Kaito looked her fully in the eyes, his smile wavered, but remained.

"I couldn't, Suri. If I'd left you there, they would have killed you or worse. If I'd left you there, what would Hana say? You're her idol, Suri. I couldn't hurt her like that. Not to mention the guilt I'd be feeling right now." he smiled softly and sat back again, looking away. "Besides, what would Wolf do if he found out that his daughter was murdered? When I was there, when I could have saved you, or stopped them. I'd be dead before I even got done explaining what'd happened. At the very least, Hana would be kicked out after that. I couldn't leave you there. Not when I could have done something. I couldn't leave you." Suri smiled up at him, then clutched her chest as a sharp, stirring pain shot through her. That's when she discovered that she was bandaged from under her arms all the way down to her waist. She groaned, knowing the wound must really be bad. "At least you can _feel_ the pain now." Kaito said optimistically.

"Easy for you to say." she hissed through clenched teeth. He chuckled and stood up.

"Come. We shall take the Chief back to the actual chief, shall we?" he grinned. She stared up at him, raising an eyebrow.

"I can't get up, Kaito, forget walking. Besides, Dad will freak when he sees me like this. And even more when he learns that I'd gone back." she reasoned. Kaito sighed, giving in. She sighed with relief; she didn't want to feel the pain she'd have endured if she'd tried to get up and move about. "Wait, I ruined your cloak?" she asked, feeling bad.

"No, I wouldn't say _ruined,_ just changed the color a bit." he laughed. "I should go clean it. Will you be all right here alone?" when she nodded, he picked up the blood soaked cloak, and heading off in the direction of the river.

Suri rested against the tree, closing her eyes, trying not to move to avoid pain. She jumped when she heard the rustle of the undergrowth. She sat up, gasping in pain. She stared around her, trying to reach for her bow, just out of reach above her. "Who's there?" she demanded to the open air. "Kaito?" she tried. "It isn't funny, Kaito, knock it off. Come out. That's an order." she stared at the trees as the rustle grew closer. A figure stepped out from the trees, still hidden in the shadows. She sighed with relief. "Kaito, I swear, if you ever do that again, I'll-" she cut off when the figure grew closer, the figure too different to be Kaito. The sunlight caught the green eyes of the newcomer. "You..." she gasped, trying desperately to reach for her quiver. The man then charged at her, his face inches from hers, a sneer plastered on his face.

"Why hello, little sister." he said softly, running the tip of a dagger threateningly up her arm, pricking it against her neck to warn her not to move. "How lovely it is to see you so helpless."

"Haru..." she hissed, trying to reach for her boot, where a dagger remained hidden. He caught the movement, and slammed his knee down on her ankle. She cried out, the outburst stifled by his hand as he clamped it over her mouth.

"Shh..." he said, as if trying to sound soothing. "Now, now. We can't have you attracting attention." his voice was calm, triumphant. "I think... I think we'll leave _Dad_ a little gift. How about his favorite child... _dead_ outside of his camp?" the dagger dug a little harder against her neck. She sucked in a breath, her back was digging into the trunk of the tree from her trying to lean away from him. "What's wrong?" he asked softly. "Are you scared? Don't be scared. I'll protect you. Isn't that what brothers do? Protect their sisters? You needn't be afraid of me." he smiled at her.

"What are-" she cut off as a small slit opened on her neck, trickling a small drop of blood. "You doing here... Get out...!" she gasped as a stabbing pain coursed through her from her back.

"What, you don't want me here? Oh, I'm hurt." he said sarcastically. "But don't worry. I didn't come here to kill you just yet. I want you to remember this little encounter. And remember. That if you do something stupid, you'll pay. Oh, and tell our father-or anyone, for that matter- of this, and I'll slowly kill off everyone around you." he kept his eyes locked on hers as his hand slowly moved to her head. He pat her head for a moment, smiling, and then shoved her head back to slam into the trunk of the tree. When her vision cleared, she was alone. Her breathing picking up, she scrabbled to her feet, ignoring the pain in her back. Her head swimming, and her vision on the verge of going black, she sprinted towards the river, her broken ankle causing her to stumble constantly. She screamed when she slammed into a person, who instantly grabbed hold of her wrist, preventing her from striking out.

"Hey!" Kaito yelled, alarmed. "Suri, what's wrong, what are you doing here! You weren't supposed to stand! Suri? Hey, what's the matter- and what happened to your neck? And your ankle, what on earth happened to you?" he demanded, pressing a small scrap of cloth against the cut. "What happened?" he asked again.

"My-" she cut off, remembering what he'd said. "I... I thought I heard something... so I ran..." she managed pathetically. He stared at her, clearly unbelieving.

"Heard something? So you run off in a panic, hurt your back, break your ankle, and somehow get a clean knife cut on your neck." he challenged, looking at her skeptically. "Okay, Suri, I think you need to get back to your father-" Suri spun, hearing voices. Angrily, she drew a dagger from her boot. She aimed to throw as two figures came into view. "Calm down, they're not going to hurt you. Hello you two, I haven't seen you around in a while." Kaito greeted, plucking the dagger from her grasp. Suri recognized the two before her. Jenda, a girl with short red hair who hardly ever spoke in the clan, and her twin brother, Osmire, who was almost the complete opposite of Jenda. He was always ready to be foolish just to get a laugh. They were a different category altogether. They worked for Wolf to sneak into other territories and report back of any suspicious activities. Spies, to put it simply.

"Her father sent us to find her. He wanted us to warn you, Mahna clan might be sneaking around trying to pick people off. Don't travel alone." Jenda said stiffly, turning and walking promptly back the way they'd come.

"He asked you get back as soon as you can." Osmire added before following after his sister. Suri stared, unable to move. The world kept moving, and nothing looked right. Almost as if she were under water.

"Suri...?" Kaito asked, concerned. Slowly, she slipped to the ground as small, strained squeaks of pain forced past her clenched teeth. He stared down at her, startled. "Okay, Chief. I know you don't want to, but you're going back to camp." Suri looked up at him and shook her head pleadingly. Even this simple motion left her weak with vision failing. He smiled faintly at her. "I knew you'd say that," he said, kneeling beside her. "Come on; you need help." he carefully shifted her into his arms. Suri cried out in pain at the motion of him standing. Awkwardly, he managed to retrieve her quiver from where she'd dropped it when she'd run to the river and managed to place it on his shoulder. Carefully, he began to head back towards camp. Suri mumbled one final protest before she succumbed to sleep.


	6. Chapter 5: New Protector

Chapter 5: New Protector

Kaito somehow managed to carefully shuffle one of the doors to the camp open; kicking it aside, he carried her into the camp. One small cry of startled alarm brought every clan member looking up, or sticking heads out of tents to find out what had happened. The rise of volume from the clan quickly brought Wolf from his own tent to see about the commotion. Upon seeing Suri, he ran over and carefully transferred her into his arms. He stared down at his wounded, bleeding daughter worriedly, running through thousands of possibilities of what could have happened to her. "Dad..." she mumbled weakly, her eyes searching for the hazy figure holding her. He hushed her softly, turning to face the clan.

"Healer!" he yelled at the dumbfounded crowd. "Now!" a woman in a white cloak stepped forward and waved him in the direction of the Healer's tent. Wolf carefully placed Suri down on a long table and brushed the fallen hair out of her face. She'd fallen back unconscious. He pressed his lips softly to her forehead before leaving the healers to do their work.

"Bring me the man who brought her in. I would like to speak with him." Wolf's voice broke into the never-ending darkness. She refrained from stretching, not wanting to let him know she was awake. Minutes past before she heard the ruffle of someone entering the tent.

"You... wanted to speak with me, Sir?" Kaito asked, his voice made it clear he was smiling.

"I did." Wolf responded airily. "Kaito, would you please tell me what happened to her? How did she get hurt?" Wolf inquired. She heard Kaito take a deep breath.

"She... went back to the boarder, Sir" Kaito said hesitantly.

"She went back?" Wolf snapped angrily. She heard Kaito drop to one knee, the motion of respect to the leader of the clan.

"Sir, I-"

"She went back! And you! You _let_ her?" Wolf demanded furiously.

"Well, Sir, she _is_ Second in Command now, I can't very well ignore an order from her." Kaito tried, his confidence wavering.

"You ignored _my_ orders!" Wolf shot back hotly. Kaito remained silent. "You were told, _Wizard,_ to protect this clan. You took an oath! And you chose to ignore it!"

"No..." Suri mumbled weakly, looking to her father. Wolf's hands were clenched into fists, with Kaito kneeling on the ground with his left forearm rested on his knee, and his right fist pressed to the ground. Both of them looked up when she spoke.

"Suri-"

"No." Suri said again, cutting off his angered voice masked over with relief. "He didn't want to go back. I made him. And he didn't ignore your orders. He did abide by your order. He's the one who got me out regardless of my order to leave me. He... he saved my life." Wolf was silent for a moment.

"Nevertheless. He _let_ you walk into that danger. He let you put your guard down. You were outnumbered, how _stupid_ can you be, boy!" Wolf accused, raking his glare over Kaito's tense form. "That said, Kaito Yurushi, you are hereby _banished_ from-"

"No!" Suri screamed, throwing herself off the examination table and stumbling over to her father. She clung to his arm, half purposefully, and half to prevent herself from collapsing to the floor. "No, you can't do that. You _can't!_ I won't let you!" she gasped, gripping his arm hard. Wolf swept her off with a strong move of his arm. She stumbled back slightly, her balance not catching her in time before she fell back against the table. Wolf glared at her angrily.

" _I_ am leader of this clan. _I_ will decide what you have control over. _You_ will not say another word, you hear me, Suri!" he spat, pointing at her accusingly. He turned back to Kaito, who looked as if he was having a mental battle over trying to help her, but being unable to move. He knew not to move. That was him going easy on her. She was his daughter, and she was injured. There was no telling what he would do if Kaito were to defend her. Hana was still vulnerable from his actions. "Kaito, you are to leave the forest and never return under punishment of-"

"I was dead!" Suri gave in. "I was _dead._ And he brought me back. It's because of him I'm alive! He saved my life. Are you really so low to banish the man who saved my life? I owe him my life... Daddy, if you banish him, then I go too." she said defensively, managing to stand before him. Wolf stared at her for a long moment, anger slowly leaving his face, soon to be replaced by shock and disbelief. He turned back to Kaito, still kneeling on the ground with his head bowed low.

"Is... Is this true...?" he asked in a whisper. Kaito glanced momentarily up at Wolf before returning his gaze to the ground. He gave a single, curt nod. "Rise, Kaito Yurushi." Wolf ordered after a long moment of thought. Silently, Kaito complied. Tensing his shoulders, he raised his gaze to Wolf's.

"If you banish me, I beg you to let my sister stay here. She has no play in this. Do not punish her for my actions. I-" Wolf cut him off by raising a hand for silence.

"I believe I misjudged you, Wizard. You are braver than you seem." Wolf said calmly, placing his hand on the younger's shoulder.

"I'm no one, Sir. Just a humble wizard from a small village." Kaito protested, shaking his head softly.

"First you save my daughter. And then you faced banishment and your only concern was your sister. That, young man, is selfless bravery. And with that said, you will stand, from now on, as my daughter's protector." Kaito's eyes widened as Wolf spoke.

"But-"

"No protest, please. That's an order, Wizard." Wolf smiled down at him as Kaito grinned broadly and nodded. Wolf looked down as a pair of slender arms around him. Gently, he hugged Suri back, smoothing her hair down. Hearing someone call for him, he carefully pulled her from him, making sure she could stand before releasing her. As he left the tent, Suri surprised even herself as she wrapped her arms around Kaito's neck and pulled him into a hug. Instantly, she pulled away and stepped back awkwardly. After a moment, he grinned and ruffled her hair. Looking her over, he made a face and pointed at the table where she was supposed to be resting. She rolled her eyes, but complied. After a moment, he sat in a chair beside her.

"You know, you didn't have to do that." he chided her softly.

"And let him kick you out? I don't think so, Kaito." she replied, glancing at him.

"Better I leave than you get shoved across the room like that. You're already hurt, you don't need to be injured farther." he reasoned, earning a shrug from her. "Well, what's done is done. Get some rest, Chief. That's an order."

"Hey, you only get a _little_ authority over me." she grumbled, folding her arms. Kaito smiled gently as he stood up.

"A little is enough to order you rest. Get some sleep anyway." he said as he began to walk away. After a moment's thought, she reached out and pulled him back by the sleeve of his cloak. Sighing loudly, he sat back beside her with a chuckle. "I'll stay. All right? Now sleep." he said calmly. She smiled up at him before finally closing her eyes.


	7. Chapter 6: Two Weeks

Chapter 6: Two Weeks

"She's asleep right now. Let her rest, she's been through a lot." she heard Kaito say as she slowly opened her eyes. Looking around, she found herself alone in the healer's tent. She guessed Kaito was outside the tent.

"But Wolf told us to-"

"Well you can when she gets up." Kaito answered, cutting off Osmire's protest. Slowly, trying not to strain her back, Suri sat up. She stood stiffly and walked from the tent, finding Kaito and walking over to him. Her ankle still hurting, she supported herself on his shoulder. He smiled at her as she did. "Well! Look who's up." Kaito grinned.

"I feel like I'm 80." she grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Don't worry," he laughed. "Your strength will return." Suri let out a yelp of surprise as her feet left the ground and she was swung backwards.

"Sorry, I didn't hurt you, did I?" Wolf asked, smiling broadly. Suri shook her head carefully.

"Yeah, Suri, your father wanted to see you." Osmire said pointedly.

"I think she noticed." Jenda replied.

"Well. In case she didn't." Osmire defended. Wolf turned and carried Suri to the leader's tent, which he used as an office, and carefully sat Suri down in one of the two chairs before his desk. As he sat across from her, he carefully placed his elbows on the desk before him. Interlacing his fingers, he rested his chin on his hands, staring at her thoughtfully. A few minutes passed, he remained quiet, still staring at her.

"Um... yes...?" she finally asked, shifting uncomfortably under his stare.

"Why?" he asked stoutly.

"Why what?" she continued, still utterly confused.

"Why did you go back to the boarder, Suri?" he elaborated. Suri swallowed hard. She knew what was coming. He was mad. But clearly trying to hide it for her sake.

"Daddy, I..." she trailed off, looking away.

"Hmm?" Wolf inquired, raising an eyebrow. "Daddy, you what?" he pressed, his chin still resting on the bed of his fingers.

"I... I went back... for my arrows..." she stammered in a small voice.

"I'm sorry, _what?"_ he demanded, shocked. "Your _arrows?_ You went back for an _arrow?_ Surinai, you have _eight_ others just like it! And you could have easily gotten more, child!"

"I know, but-"

"But nothing! You're lucky to be alive! How could you be so _stupid,_ you know better!" he spat, interrupting her.

"It's not like I _wanted_ to get stabbed! The only weapon I had was the arrow I had dug out of that kid's arm! Dad, you're being so unfair, you scared Kaito half to death, you shoved me across the room- making me hit my back, I might add- and now you treat me like a child! Well, I'm not a child. Dad, you can't just-"

"Unfair?" he demanded disbelievingly. " _Unfair?_ Suri, this is not unfair. You being foolish and going back to throw your life away and putting that boy in danger is unfair! And I will treat you like a child as long as you act like one, young lady, you want to see unfair? Fine, I can be unfair. Suri, you're grounded! And you will not leave this camp for two weeks, is that clear?" he growled, glaring at her meaningfully.

"Two weeks? But the battle, Dad, you can't-"

"Is that clear?" he shouted, cutting her off again.

"You can't just expect me to sit here and wait as you lead all of my warriors off to battle?" she countered, her fingernails digging into the arm of the chair she was seated in.

" _Your_ warriors?" he stood angrily, his hands balling into fists.

"Yes, _my_ warriors, Dad, you can't do this!"

"They won't be your warriors in a minute if you don't watch your mouth, young lady!" she stared at him for a long moment, her fingers getting sore from the grip she had on the chair. He glared at her through the silence, daring her to speak. "You're dismissed." he hissed, his posture rigid.

"But Dad, I-"

 _"You're dismissed," he_ repeated through clenched teeth. "Leave me." he turned away from her, gesturing towards the exit.

"Fine. You're such a pain of a father!" she spat as she got to her feet and sprinted from the tent. She shoved past Kaito, who waved at her, stopping when he saw the anger.

"Suri?" Kaito called as she ran by. She ignored him and ran into her tent. Kaito ran in her wake. "Suri, what's wrong, what happened?"

"He dismissed me from the battle." Suri mumbled through her hands.

"He... well that's not so bad! At least you won't get hurt!" he said optimistically though a small laugh.

"It's not fair... I don't understand why he's so mad at me. Okay, maybe I scared him a little. Okay, maybe I shouldn't have gone back. But that's no real reason to call me stupid as he did." she said, hugging her elbows close.

"Suri, he just doesn't want you to get hurt. I don't think he meant to say such things, Suri, he's your father." Kaito said softly, kneeling before her.

"Did you _hear_ what he said to me, Kaito? The tents are rather thin, and he said it rather loud, I don't know how you'd miss it! He threatened to take away my position, I'd lose what _little_ respect I have from this clan." she raised her head to look back at him. "If I _ever_ become leader of this clan, no one will listen, they all think I'm a joke."

"Now that's not true." he chided, shaking his head at her. "Don't speak of things you do not know. The clan holds you with the utmost respect, half of the apprentices look up to you."

"Just go, Kaito." she said, dropping her head back into her hands. "Please." Slowly, he reached forward and brushed some stray hair back behind her ear. Carefully, as if he expected her to shove him away, he leaned forward slightly and briefly pressed his lips against her cheek. He disappeared before she even had the chance to look up. Her mind still trying to think through what had just happened, she lie on her bed, staring blankly at the grass until she began to drift off.


	8. Chapter 7: Another Visit

Chapter 7: Another Visit

Then next morning, Suri walked out of her tent, nearly running into Kaito. He stopped, grinning broadly down at her. She smiled sheepishly back, trying not to blush. "Good morning, I was just coming to get you; your father asked to speak with you." Instantly, Suri turned around and tried to walk back inside. Kaito caught her arm. "Come now, he can't be that bad." he laughed, tightening his hold as she tried to pull free. "Don't be difficult, Suri." he sighed, swinging her into his arms.

"Put me _down!"_ she spat angrily, struggling to free herself. "That's an _order,_ Kaito Yurushi, put me _down!"_ he gripped her wrist in one hand, holding it to her side as he held her other arm pinned against his chest, carrying her towards her father's tent. Upon reaching the tent, he dropped her on her feet, causing her to stumble slightly, directly into the tent. She stood, staring at her father, who was seated at his desk.

"Suri, I-"

"Stop." she said, tensing. "If you're going to yell again, you can _bet_ I'll be out of here in a second." she glowered at him fiercely.

"Suri, I'm not going to yell at you." he said carefully, raising his hands as if to show he was unarmed. She stared at him for a long moment, folding her arms over her chest.

"I'm listening." she said through a sigh.

"I understand that yesterday you were a bit flustered and upset. On any other day, such behavior is _unacceptable."_ he raised a hand for silence as she tried to protest.

She ignored the motion. "Dad, I wasn't-"

"Enough." he said harshly, managing to silence her. "For someone of your experience level, Suri, you'd think you'd have a _bit_ more discipline. Sometimes I wonder if that's my fault. Or I wonder if you act like this because your mother's death traumatized you excessively. as it did your brother. You act like a child for more than is acceptable for your age, Suri." he sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. Suri stared at him, not knowing what to say. It took her a long moment to recover.

"Great." she said stiffly. _"Fantastic._ Thanks, Dad, for basically telling me I'm just one _huge_ disappointment to you." she turned, ignoring his yell of protest, and scrambled from the tent. Breaking into a run, she shoved the doors to the camp open and disappeared into the trees.

Out of breath, she came to a stop, finding herself at the river. She stared at the water that had carried the small boat containing the body of her mother downstream. She had died protecting Suri and her siblings from the villagers. The village to the east of the forest wanted the forest land. It had been peaceful until then, the forest belonged to Fortis; Mahna hadn't been created. Seven years ago, the villagers had led a raid on the camp, and Suri's mother had hidden both Trin and Haru away, and had left them to find Suri.

Suri remembered her mother smiling at her, even though she must have been worried. She had picked Suri up and run off to hide her with her siblings. But they'd been caught. She remembered protesting as her mother put her down and ordered her to run and find Haru. She still remembered her mother's calm voice as she smiled down at her eleven year old daughter and promised that she'd join them shortly. She remembered only being able to find her siblings due to Trin, three years old then, crying loudly, and Haru's failed attempts to quiet her. They had huddled together in the small crevice in the ground, waiting for her to come and find them. She remembered tensing at the sound of footsteps, and watching a thirteen year old Haru, standing over his younger sisters who knelt on the floor behind him, draw a dagger protectively. The immense relief from the fear disappearing at the sight of their father's face. He had smiled down at them as he reached down to help them out. "Where's Mom?" Haru had asked repeatedly through the walk back to the camp. Wolf had ignored the question until they'd gotten back to camp. Haru had taken her death the hardest.

"Kids." Wolf had said as he knelt on the floor of his tent before them. "Your mother... I'm afraid she won't be coming home."

"Did she go somewhere?" Suri had asked.

"She did. But she went somewhere where she cannot return from. Do you remember where your uncle went...?" he had looked them over slowly, as if he was trying to find pieces of his wife in them.

"You said he went up in the sky because he finished his job on the ground." Haru recited. Even then, he sounded as if he was guessing at what was wrong, and didn't want to hear it.

"Well, kids, your mother went up with him. Her job here is done, and she was needed up with him. And even though you can't see her anymore, she will always be with us. She's still watching over you kids, nothing about that has changed. But I need you to understand-" his voice broke as he cut off, trying to take a few deep breaths to steady himself. "that you can't see your mother anymore." It was then that Haru had backed away in a panic. He had heaved a few heavy breaths before something in him snapped.

"She went back to get you!" he yelled accusingly at Suri. "She stayed to let _you_ get away! She's dead because of you! It's your fault! You're the one who should have died!" she remembered him ducking under Wolf's arm as he tried to calm the boy, and ran off. He never came back. Search parties were sent out for him constantly. But to no avail, he never turned up. They thought he had died until he showed up a number of years later with his own clan.

Suri jumped awake, hearing a twig snap beneath someone's shoe. Spinning, she glared into the trees as she slowly drew a dagger from her boot. "Who's there? Come out now." she spat to the hidden newcomer.

"What's wrong, Suri?" Haru's voice said somehow clearly, though she couldn't place where he was. Somewhere close. "Missing your mommy?"

"What are you doing here, Haru. Get out, you know the boundaries." she spat, slowly stepping towards the trees.

"Oh, come two weeks those boundaries won't exist. Don't worry, I'll save you the pain of missing her. You'll be joining her." he hissed as he stepped into the open. He grasped a short sword in his left hand. "You've been good, not telling our idiot of a father of our little chat earlier. By the way, who's that blonde kid that's constantly around you?"

"What, you've suddenly gained some brotherly protectiveness?" Suri challenged darkly, jumping aside as he lunged at her. "That's cute, last time I saw that we were stuck in a crack in the ground. It's been, what, seven years? A bit late to care now, don't you think?" she gasped as he swung at her. She managed to flick it away with the dagger. She knew if she didn't get away, she wouldn't be able to hold out very long. Not with only a dagger.

"Oh, I haven't been protecting you." he sneered with a heavy grin on his lips, somehow getting a hold on her wrist and pulling her close. "I was stalling." he hissed darkly. Suri nearly gagged at the smell of his breath.

"What have you done?" she spat, pulling away from his as she brandished his chest with the tip of the dagger. "What have you done!"

"Why don't you ask _Daddy?"_ he laughed, not in the least concerned about the blade. Suri stared at him, wide-eyed. Something had happened. He'd planned to do something as soon as she left the camp. "You had to leave the camp, I had intended to kill you there. Well, watching the fear pass through you is entertaining. Are you worried about him? Hmm? Maybe it'll be your fault a second time. Go ahead, turn your back on a blade. I'll let you live this time. But _only_ because I love a good show. Go on, little sister. Run back to Daddy. Oh and please. Send him my regards." Her mind reeling with sickening fear and worry, she turned and ran. Sprinting towards the camp, she left the river and her brother behind as she managed to dodge between the tightly spaced trees.


	9. Chapter 8: The Decoy

Chapter 8: The Decoy

"Dad!" Suri yelled as she burst into the camp. Heads turned to stare at her in confusion. "Where's my father?" She demanded, trying to get her breath back.

"He went out after you, Suri." some said with slight accusation in his voice. Swallowing hard, Suri spin and ran back out of the camp, wide-eyed and worried. Not knowing where to go, she headed back towards the river, hoping there would be some clue. She wondered if Haru had been caught. She stumbled and skidded to a halt when something caught her eye. Breathing fast and shallow, she walked slowly up to the tree. She swallowed bile at the sight of her father's cloak, tattered and bloodied, hanging from the head of an arrow that had pegged it into the trunk of the tree.

"I _told you_ I wanted him _dead!"_ Haru screamed at the man kneeling respectfully before him.

"I _tried,_ Sir, but someone was coming; I couldn't risk getting caught-"

"Who told you dying wasn't an option?" Haru spat, cutting off the plea. "I wanted him dead at all costs, you fool! My plans are ruined! Do you realize what you've done?" the warrior bowed his head lower, his eyes shut tight.

"Sir, I didn't intend to anger you-"

"You do not realize the damage you have done!" Haru spat, drawing his sword.

Staring down at the blood-soaked cloak, Suri walked blindly into the camp. She faintly heard someone cry out, sending the entire clan surging toward her and what was left of their leader. "Suri? Suri, what happened?" She looked up to Lune, one of the older warriors of the clan that Suri remembered looking up to growing up. She stared blankly at him, unable to force herself to speak. He moved to stand in front of her, lightly shaking her shoulders as his fingers dug a hard grip into them. "Suri!" he shouted loudly, trying to wake her.

"I..." She stammered, managing to find her voice. "I don't... know. I found this after-" she stopped herself, unsure of how to tell her clan that she had been confronted by Haru and let him get away.

"After?" Lune demanded hotly, "After what?"

"After Haru ambushed me at the river." she said, looking away. She felt Lune's hands draw quickly away from her.

"What do you mean _after_ he ambushed you? _He got away?"_ Lune's voice sounded dangerously angry now. He glared down at her before looking around at the crowd. "We have to retaliate. We have to avenge him! We attack now!" Lune's voice seemed to bring the silent clan to life. People shouted in agreement.

"No!" Suri screamed over the noise. Lune turned his green eyes on her to glare menacingly.

"No?" he scoffed. "No? That fool murdered our leader, _your father,_ and you _don't_ want us to fight back? Are you even a warrior at all?" he challenged darkly, leaning down in the slightest to lean in close.

"As his oldest child eligible, _I_ succeed his position. _I_ decide how and when we attack. _You_ are merely a warrior, and are in no position to challenge me for leadership. Step aside, Lune, or risk banishment from the clan." Suri hissed angrily, holding his glare with her own. Fury passed through his eyes before he gave in and, lowering his gaze, stepped away from her. Gripping her father's cloak tightly, she looked around at the faces all looking to her for guidance. She took a deep breath. "We do not attack yet. My father's time of attack still stands." disappointment rippled through the clan. "However, I am taking a patrol to the Mahna clan clamp to confront Haru on these crimes. However worthy he may seem to have orchestrated these actions, we do not know for sure that it was at his hand. I'll need three volunteers to accompany me across the border." she watched as hands shot up all around her. She pointed to the first hand she saw rise, glad to see Kaito stride forward as the crowd moved to let him through. The second was a warrior named Kifa, who had trained with her as an apprentice, and had even become a warrior on the same day. The final spot was taken by a storm wizard named Lilah. She grinned as she moved forward to stand in front of Suri.

"When do we move out?" Kifa asked calmly, glancing down at the bloodstained cloak.

"Immediately." Suri replied, turning and walking towards the camp entrance.


	10. Chapter 9: The Capture

Chapter 9: The Capture

The patrol walked quietly through the forest, no one wanting to disturb the mournful silence. Suri paused hesitantly at the final clearing of Fortis territory. Kaito grinned broadly at her when she glanced nervously at him, her earlier angered confidence gone. "You're not _scared,_ are you, Suri?" he asked, grinning through serious eyes. Suri turned her gaze ahead of her.

"No." she said as she moved forward.A few feet into Mahna territory, something caught her eye. Smoke was rising in the distance. She couldn't tell where exactly it was. "You two, go check it out. I don't care the territory. You are to help put it out. I don't want the forest on fire." she ordered sternly.

"But Suri, we can't leave y-"

"That was an order! Go!" Suri hissed darkly. After a long moment, Kifa gave a curt nod and led Lilah away. Turning back around, she continued forward. After a moment, Kaito moved back to her side.

"Are you sure that was a good idea? We're half as vulnerable now. In Mahna territory." he said, glancing at her. Suri ignored him, continuing forward. He stepped in front of her, blocking her path now. Suri glared up at him angrily.

"Move." she said flatly. He remained in his place, staring back defiantly. "I am ordering you to step _aside,_ Kaito."

"I can't obey that order." he said stiffly. "Suri, I know you're upset about your father, the entire clan is, but this is not the way to mourn him. What would your father say if he were to see you like this? He-" Suri shoved him aside, moving past him angrily. He managed to regain his balance and follow quickly after her. He gripped her shoulders after turning her back towards him. "You're acting on a whim of anger, Suri. You're _blind_ right now. You can't see the danger you're walking into-or rather you _won't_ see it." Kaito's grip on her arms tightened as she tried again to pull away. He ground his teeth when she reached back for an arrow from the quiver slung over her shoulder. He breathed again when the arrow streaked just past his ear.

"Neither can you." she spat, pulling away. He spun, seeing nothing but trees around them. He was about to tell her that now he was _really_ concerned, but then he felt it. The energy of a person. His grip tightened on his staff as the person gripping a sword came into view.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." he sneered through a grin. "You're on Mahna territory. Attack me on my land, and the clan will freely retaliate." he smirked under Suri's glare. Kaito stared at her, wide-eyed, as she dropped her arms, gripping her bow with a death grip.

"Take me to my brother." as she spoke in a low voice, that man's smile widened. He stepped forward and restrained her arms behind her back.

Astonished faces, and the cry of an apprentice greeted him as he entered the camp. He had gone after Suri, but he wasn't as young as he wished he was. She had soon made it out of sight. He paused, confused. It was as if he had shouted and alarmed them. Everyone had paused, mid-step or with weapons suspended in the air. They were all starring as if he'd died and come back. "What?" he snapped, glaring around him.

"You're... you're alive...?" a wizard managed to find her voice.

"Of course I'm alive. Why wouldn't I be, don't be foolish." he chided, frustrated.

"But..." the stammering voice paused, swallowing hard. "But Suri, she-"

"Suri?" he demanded, starring at her. "You've seen her?" he stared around the camp. When she didn't speak, another voice replied hastily.

"She thought you were dead, Sir. We all did..." Wolf turned his gaze to the man that had now stepped forward.

"Dead?" he inquired, a bad feeling beginning to form within him. Someone stepped forward with a piece of dark cloth covered in dry blood. For a terrible moment he thought it was Suri's before he realized it was his. "Where did you get this? Where is my daughter?"

"Suri found this in the forest, pegged to a tree and covered in blood." the man responded.

"That got snagged on a branch. Then I encountered an intruder, I couldn't go back for it. I took care of him, he ran off. The blood is not mine, I suspect he soaked it in an animal's blood and left it pegged to the tree for someone to find. Now all of you, stop avoiding the question." he growled, raking his glare over the clan around him. "Where is my daughter?" Glances were exchanged before someone managed to find their voice.

"She thought you were dead. She took a patrol to avenge you. To Mahna."

Suri and Kaito followed the Mahna Clan warrior through the trees. She tensed as the camp came into view. They had built walls around the camp, so what lay beyond was out of sight. She stared, slightly disturbed, at the massive pieces of trees that made up the walls. They were shoved tightly together, forming a strong, defensive wall. They paused when their escort, still holding his sword, stopped and turned to them. He walked up to Kaito first and ripped his staff from his grip before turning to Suri. She bit back a retort to his triumphant grin as he carefully plucked each arrow from the quiver, then took her bow. She cringed as he snapped the string of the bow with his sword. He then began to circle her, confiscating her sword, and any other object he could find that could be wielded as a weapon. Still smirking, he turned back towards the camp, and continued down the small hill that led towards the camp doors.. She took a deep breath as he pulled the entrance open. "Haru!" he snapped loudly, "Visitors! Special ones." she watched her brother exit a tent a few yards ahead. Suddenly angry, she tensed to sprint at him, Kaito grabbed her as she tried to move. She spun to glare at him menacingly.

"Let go of me." she hissed under her breath.

"No. You're unarmed. Don't do something stupid." he responded, indicating the Mahna clan members that had begun to draw their weapons at her attempt to attack.

"Well!" Haru cried, amused as he walked over to them triumphantly. "Isn't this a surprise. Hello, little sister. You've got quite the catch, Aaron. And look, bonus points for this one." he chuckled as he circled Kaito. "Nice staff." he remarked, taking the rod from Aaron. "I think I'll keep this. It'll be of no use to you here." Suri saw Kaito stiffen as he kept his glare fixed somewhere ahead of them. "Why, my _dear_ sister, have you chosen to trespass on my territory?" he leaned in close, still with the ridiculous grin plastered on his face.

"What did you do to my father." she spat, losing control of her anger. To her surprise, he actually looked genuinely confused at the question.

"What-" he cut off, suddenly starting to laugh. "Stephan!" he shouted suddenly. A man moved forward slowly. He looked horrible, his face was bruised, and his arms were bandaged all the way up, disappearing under his shirt. "You're pardoned from your past crimes of betrayal." he said gleefully. The man smiled and dipped his head gratefully. With a yell of anger, she tore free from Kaito's grip and lunged at her brother, catching him off guard. He stumbled as she attempted to knock him off his feet. She cried out when he angrily threw her off.

"Suri!" Kaito called, stepping toward her. He stopped, trying to pull free of the hands restricting him. Scrambling to her feet, she dodged a strike, managing to land a hit on his torso. The action only seemed to anger him more as he swept his foot beneath her, knocking her to the ground again. This time when she found her footing, she was instantly restrained. She glared up at her brother as he strode over to her. Raising his left hand, he struck her hard on the cheek, causing her to cry out slightly. "Don't touch her!" Kaito spat, thrashing against his restraints. Haru turned his glare on Kaito as he moved quickly over to him. Gripping the staff, he brought the pole hard to Kaito's stomach, causing him to double over slightly. Coughing, he returned his glare to Haru.

"You're quite scrawny. Even for a wizard." Haru remarked, looking over his captive. "Can you even handle a weapon? Why would my father allow someone as tiny as you become a member of his clan? You're weak without your staff, and you can't even fight. He really has lowered his standards." he chuckled, turning and walking away. "You know where to put them." he growled over his shoulder.


	11. Chapter 10: The Backstory

Chapter 10: The Backstory

Suri stared at the floor she was seated on, mindlessly picking at the ropes that tied her hands around the thick wooden stake she leaned against. She had tried to dig up the stake, but it was driven too far into the ground to reach, and it was too high for either of them to reach over. She was fairly sure her fingers were bleeding from how long she'd been clawing at the ropes, wood, and dirt. She could't feel it if she were. "Hey." Kaito said, looking over to her. She did't respond. "You all right?" he pressed, leaning forward slightly.

"Yeah." she said after a moment. "We have to get out of here. Mostly so I can go beat my brother to a pulp." he smiled softly at that.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Suri. Not here, anyway. Even if you do manage to injure him with no weapons, you'll have the entire clan on you in a heartbeat." he leaned his head back against the stake he was tied to.

"Do you remember when they stabbed me in the back with my arrow?" she asked after a moment of silence. Caught off guard by the question, he looked over to her, confused.

"Yes, but why is that on your mind now?" he asked, confused.

"When I got hurt, you did something strange. You did't run over to me. You just appeared beside me. It was as if you had transported to me. Could you do that again?" she asked, looking back to him. A strained smile pulled on his lips.

"I would love to. But that requires a ring I had taken off. It's sitting right now, useless, on a table in my tent." he sighed, defeated. Suri nodded, allowing silence to regain it's hold.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" she asked suddenly. He cringed, as if he had expected the question, but did't want to hear it. "You said you learned it from an old friend. And when my dad called you brave, you said you were just a wizard from a small village. Where are you from?" To her surprise, he laughed softly at her questions.

"I wan't born here, Suri. Neither was Hana, well, she was still a newborn, but still. That was a skill a friend taught me when I was young, just about to leave my hometown. He gave me that ring, and said if I was ever in any danger, think very hard on where I want to be and grip the ring. I understand now that he meant come home. Come home if I were ever in any danger. Where he learned of such abilities, even I don't know. He never had any parents. He said he had just woken up there, and had no memory whatsoever of anything before that. He was strange. He used to suddenly start speaking in a strange language as if he hadn't noticed he'd done it. When I asked him what language it was, he said he had no idea. He was my closest friend growing up." he smiled at the memory of the boy.

"What was his name?" Suri asked, intrigued to finally find something out about his past. He glanced over at her before resting his head back against the stake.

"Kouta." he said wistfully.

"Why did you leave? And with Hana? Where were your parents?" Suri continued eagerly. He laughed softly at her.

"Am I really that interesting to you? The village to the south of us accused us of some crime, I don't remember what it was, but whatever it was wan't true. There were fights every night. I remember one night, my father came home covered in blood. Mom was in such a panic. And at that time, she was pregnant with Hana. When Hana was born, I guess they had made a decision. It was too dangerous there to raise a baby. Houses were raided randomly every night, and the thought of that terrified my parents. So we made a plan. My parents stayed there. They claimed they were too old to face the drought hardened land that I would have to walk through. We'd heard stories of a civilization in a forest far to the west. Since that was the only chance of me finding any form of life, I decided I would go there. So when Hana was about five days old, I took her and fled the village. If Kouta Hadn't given me that ring, we probably would have soon died of dehydration. I sacrificed nearly all of my water in two days to Hana. I had to keep her alive. I would run out of water quickly and constantly. The ring, I used to return home and refill on the water. But since I can't carry anyone with me, I had to return to the desert. I could't just transport to the forest, I'd end up leaving Hana to die in the desert. So I continued like that. Constantly returning home for water, then transporting back to Hana, and continuing across the desert.

"I was about nine then, so you would have been seven when I got here. I walked into the forest after about two weeks, and I remember a wizard named Kano found me. He was walking the boarder, I suppose. I instantly asked if he lived in the forest and if we could be taken in. He said it was odd to find newcomers, especially a young boy who would instantly, without any knowledge of the place, ask to be accepted. I remember your dad scared the Hell out of me when I walked into the camp for the first time. I watched everyone who spoke to him dip their heads. I thought that was so strange and intriguing. Back at the village, we bowed, or shook hands. A dip of the head was never seen there. I remember when I bowed to him, it was because I thought it would be bad if I didn't. He just laughed and said I didn't have to try so hard. That was hard to swallow. This big, tall, built man that stood before me was laughing. When a few seconds before, he was being spoken to as if every word said could set him off. He said he could tell by just looking at me that I'd seen my fair share of blood and hardships, and that he did't need to test me. But he said, in order to stay there, I had to work. By the time I was eleven, he said I could become an apprentice if I desired. That shocked me. Hana was being looked after, and everyone treated me like I was a family member. Magic was something unheard of back home too. Magicians and sorcerers were things of fables and fairy tales. Becoming one of those things that belonged in fairy tales, that drew me to it. So I told him yes, and when he asked wizard or warrior, my answer was instantly wizard. And the rest, well, I think you can figure out." she stared at him when he finished. She didn't know anything about the boy that had come there out of nowhere. Sure, she remembered him, carrying his little sister protectively into the camp, dressed in weird clothes. But she'd never known his history.

"But what-"

"Shh." he hissed, suddenly tense. "Someone's coming." he whispered softly, staring at the entrance of the tent they were in. Suri tensed as her brother slowly stepped into view, a sword gripped in his left hand.

"Good morning, filthy idiots." he greeted too cheerfully. He reached the blade forward, carefully touching the tip or the sword to Kaito's neck, lifting his chin up. "I still can't figure out why you're here. Her, yes, but you? You're weak. I could break you in half so easily, and you would't be able to do a thing because you're a pathetic wizard who never learned to fight." Kaito cringed as the blade threatened to pierce his skin. "Oh, did that hurt? I'm sorry, why don't we get your mind off of the pa-"

"Leave him alone." Suri spat, catching his attention. Slowly, he turned to face her.

"I'm sorry, did you just have the audacity, _prisoner,_ to tell me what to do?" he hissed, dragging the blade across her cheek. Suri winced as the blade cut into her skin, leaving a thin line of blood on the blade. "Now look what you'vie done, you'vie dirtied my blade." he growled, wiping the sword clean.

"I'm not the one who tied me up here." she hissed at him. "What, are you scared you won't beat me? You're still a coward, Haru."

"Suri-" Kaito's plea was cut off with a cry from Suri as Haru stabbed the blade down, right into her ankle. Suri froze, trying hard to hold in the tears that were fighting to get free. She stared at the blood pooling at her ankle, her vision blurring through the pain. Haru circled her angrily.

"You talk far too much for your own good. Maybe it's time you were taught to keep your mouth shut!" he spat, bringing his blade down on the ropes that bound her hands. Roughly, he grabbed her arm and pulled her up, ignoring the cry of pain that escaped her. Dragging her forward, he exited the tent as Kaito struggled hard against the thick rope digging into his wrists. Suri cried out as her brother threw her down in the middle of the camp. She watched as black shimmered around her vision from the pain in her ankle. She stared at the blade that her brother held to her neck with wide eyes. "Nothing to say now, sister?" he spat angrily, digging the blade threateningly against her skin. "What, does that hurt? Well here, let me _help!"_ he snapped, stomping hard on her injured ankle. Suri opened her mouth to scream, but no sound made it out. Blindly, she struggled to move away from him, only for her hand to slip and fail her. "You're pathetic." he spat, throwing the blade down. Suri reached weakly for the blade as he turned his back to her and began to walk away. Suri managed to get her fingers around the hilt of the blade. With a scream of will, she threw the blade. Haru cried out, gripping his now heavily bleeding arm. He spun back to face her, glaring furiously at his sister's crumpled, bleeding form. He stormed over to her, and gripped her hair in the fingers of his good arm, he pulled her up slightly, and threw her back down towards the crowd of Mahna Clan onlookers. "Beat her. As much as you like, I don't care if she dies." he told them, turning away again.

A scream tore from Suri's throat as she began to lose feeling in her entire body from the clan. The last thing she was aware of was someone kicking her hard in the back of the head. Somewhere in the haze, she heard the members of the clan begin to cry out in alarm, and stumble away. She watched as frost crept towards her, and began to circle the feet of the people surrounding her. People tried to stumble away, but were soon frozen in place, unable to move, or shivering too violently to struggle. She watched Kaito carefully emerge from the tent, the ropes that had bound him falling from his bleeding wrists in cinders. He ran quickly over to her, fear clear on his face. "I'm sorry." he said as he picked her up into his arms. She finally blacked out as he began to run, gripping her tightly in his arms, for the exit of the camp and the boarder.


	12. Chapter 11: Help?

Chapter 11: Help?

She blinked awake, aware of only pain. She cringed, and nearly screamed when someone touched her arm. "Woah!" Kaito yelled, startled by the fact that he had startled her. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were awake. It's just me. I won't hurt you." he said softly when she stared at him, wide-eyed.

"What are you..." she trailed off when a faint, green shimmering swirled around his fingers. As he touched her bruised arm, the shimmering began to circle her arm. She stared, alarmed, as the bruise began to fade. She looked back to Kaito, who had the look of a child who didn't want to get scolded. "What was that? What did you do?" she gasped, staring at him.

"I healed you. Lots of wizards can heal, Suri. Healers are Life Class wizards." he responded with a smile.

"You know what I meant." she answered stiffly. His smile faltered, before he sighed, looking back at her arm and continuing. "Answer me, Kaito. That ice. I didn't imagine that. That was you, wasn't it?" he gave a small nod, not looking up at her. "When I was injured from that arrow, I asked if you were an Energy Class wizard. And again, earlier. You could sense someone coming towards the tent. After you made everything freeze, the ropes that had you tied down were burning away. And now healing. Wizards can only master one Class. Using another Class would injure them. If a Fire wizard used Ice, their hands would be severely injured. As far as anyone knows, mastering, or even using, more than one Class is impossible or dangerous. How can you use so many? What are you doing differently, Kaito? Whatever it is, you could teach it to the others, and help us strengthen the-"

"I can't." he said through his teeth, cutting her off. She stared at him, startled. "I can't do that. I don't know how I can. I'm not doing anything differently. What I said earlier was not a lie. I had never even known Magic existed before I came here. Everything I know of Magic, I learned from my mentor. Here. I've never done anything differently, I trained as an Energy Class my entire apprenticeship. If I knew why I can do this, believe me, I would never withhold such information. But I don't. So I can't. This is why I never told you, your father, or anyone. I don't want to be set apart. Or turned into some experiment subject. Not even Hana knows." he kept his gaze locked on his work, refusing to look up.

"Why-"

"I couldn't just let you die." he cut off the question, his hands balling into fists. After a moment, he looked startled that he had gotten angry, and let his body relax. "I couldn't. They were going to kill you. Sorry." he mumbled when she winced as a cut on her arm closed painfully. "Suri," he said after a long moment, removing his hands from her wound-free arm. "Can I ask that you keep this quiet? I know it's a big thing that could be a massive upgrade for the clan if we figure it out. But I've tried for years, and finding it out is not as simple as some would think. I promise, if I ever find it out, you'll be the first I tell, but please-"

"Kaito." Suri said sternly, managing to silence him. He looked at her, as if it pained him to look up. "Calm down. I won't tell the clan." Relief flooded through him visibly as she spoke. "You've saved my life twice now. There is no way to repay you for that. But I swear, I will not breathe a word to anyone of your abilities, nor will I expect you to use them any differently." she said solemnly, earning a grin from him.

"Thank you." he sighed, bowing his head low. After a moment, he reached over her, carefully healing her other arm. He mumbled apologies each time she cringed. "I haven't healed your ankle. I didn't want to do that and have you wake up in pain. I can heal it, but it will hurt. The wound will close. And you'll feel it." She nodded reluctantly.

"Just do it. But give me a warning." she said through a sigh. He nodded, moving carefully to her leg. He had bandaged it to slow the bleeding, but the white bandage was slowly turning a deep red. Carefully, he began to unwind the bandaged, ignoring the blood on his hands.

"Are you ready?" he asked, earning a nod. "Relax your leg. It'll hurt less." he said when she tensed. Slowly, she made her leg relax. "One," he said, taking a deep breath, "two," his hands began to shimmer within a pale green haze. "Three." he said, bringing his hands to her ankle. For a moment, she didn't feel anything. Suddenly, she cringed and balled her hands into fists. "Hang on." he said through his teeth. She clenched her jaw shut tight to keep the whimper of pain from escaping. "Almost done." he said as the pain began to slowly ebb until it faded away. Slowly, he removed his hands. "It's done. Try moving it a little." he said softly. Tentatively, she moved her ankle in a slow circle. It was stiff, but it didn't hurt very much. She sighed, relieved. "Come on. We have to go now. The clan will be worried, and who knows what Mahna is planning now." he said, carefully helping her up. He rinsed his hands of her blood in a small pool of water a few feet away. When he was done, he retrieved his staff from where it leaned against a tree. Suri guessed he'd taken it back after she had passed out. She fallowed behind him, surprised to feel no pain, back towards the camp.

As soon as they walked into the camp, Suri stared at the crowd of clan members in the center clearing of the camp. "Please, Sir, you have to help us!" Suri stared, confused. That didn't sound like anyone from the clan. She moved forward and began to push through the crowd. She froze when she had gotten through to the middle. A man and a woman both were kneeling on the ground, their heads bowed low as they pleaded for help. Standing before them, looking as if he wanted to smack them both, was her father. Alive. She stared at him, disbelieving for a long time before, without even herself noticing she'd spoken, she whispered his name. He looked up, taking a long moment to realize who was staring at him, and who he was staring back at.

"You're alive...?" she gasped, her voice unable to move louder than a whisper. "But your cloak, it was... I found it... Haru had-" she cut off, sobbing into his shoulder as he moved quickly to her and wrapped his arms tightly around her frame. He pulled away, carefully wiping her tears as he looked her up and down for wounds that were no longer there.

"I'm sorry." he mumbled, his chin resting on her shoulder. "Are you hurt, did he hurt you?" he demanded, still looking for blood. Suri shook her head, smiling.

"It's thanks to him I'm not hurt." she nodded in Kaito's direction. He had moved a few feet away, and was holding his sister in his arms as she hugged him tightly. Suddenly, Wolf remembered the visitors. He frowned and turned around to face them. "What's going on?" Suri asked, peering around her father.

"They want our help. Over a few _fires."_ he spat the last word sourly. Confused, Suri stared down at the two who knelt on the floor before them. They looked tired and ragged.

"What caused the fires? I saw smoke on the way to Mahna yesterday, and sent Kifa and Lilah to put it out. I thought it was in the forest, I didn't even think of the village." Suri said, looking to the two on the ground.

"Some men came in from the forest. They said if we didn't supply them their weapons, we'd regret it. We didn't believe them, and in response, they began setting everything on fire. So far, there are twelve children injured, two dead, and one young child orphaned." the man she'd first heard speak said.

"Why should we? Why should we help you? When all you will do, as soon as it's over, is revert right back and turn your back on us. Try and take our land and the lives of our loved ones." Wolf accused defensively.

"Dad, _please._ Stop that, it could be Haru. In which case, we should help." Suri spoke up. "If we help them, maybe they'll help us rid the forest of that idiot."

"I will not help those-"

"Is Mom's death worth the cost of an entire village, Dad?" Suri snapped, shaking her head as she glared pointedly at anything but his eyes. She regretted her words instantly; her father looked as if she'd run him through with a sword. He swallowed visibly, clearly trying to swallow his anger. "If it is Haru's doing, then I would like to help. Any help we can get in return is a better chance of us coming home alive. It's better we help, and create an ally who we can call for help than create an enemy. That's just a battle we don't need to fight." Suri knelt down and pulled both villagers to their feet, nodding as they smiled gratefully at her. Wolf sighed loudly at his daughter that was beginning to grow up irritably fast.

"Did they tell you if and when they would return?" Wolf demanded curtly, glowering at the villagers before him.

"They said they'd return at noon today, and if we didn't supply them their weapons, they'd burn more. Who knows what they'll target next; if they burn more, we'll be drowning in soot. The air is already thick with remaining smoke, and we can't very well fight back in the state we are in-"

"If it is my son, then we will take care of it. But we will need access into your village to be able to properly defend it. Which I don't want to be in there anymore than you want us on your land, but it has to be done." Wolf looked around him to the clan that was still clustered around them. "I need as many Ice Class Wizards as we can spare. Do not leave the camp defenseless, I still don't trust these idiots. No apprentices are to attend this whatsoever." He paused as mumbles of disappointment rippled around him, and a few apprentices wandered away dejectedly. "And you," he growled, turning to Suri, "are coming with me, and you are not to cause me _any_ problems. That includes irritating me. Am I clear?" Suri smiled broadly and nodded. "Kaito!" Wolf called, startling the man who stood beside his sister across the camp. Instantly, he walked quickly over to his leader. He glanced at Suri, who smiled at him calmingly. "You have a job to do, don't you?" Wolf asked. Kaito creased his eyebrows, confused for a moment. He grinned when he realized he meant Suri. "Keep her from doing something stupid, please." He then turned back to his conversation with both the villagers, and multiple clan members with inquiries.


	13. Chapter 12: Village Skirmish

Chapter 12: Village Skirmish

All conversations had ceased as the village came into view. An eerie silence came over them as they walked through the rapidly thinning tree line, towards the main entrance of the village. As they drew nearer, Suri stared at the small line of villagers blocking the entrance. A few feet ahead of them stood a man who wore an official looking uniform. "Have they agreed?" he asked stoutly to the two villagers that had stepped forward as they approached. A nod came from the villager who reached the man first. The man looked around at the clan members with a look of withheld disgust. "We thank you for your assistance." He said stiffly, turning away and beginning to walk down the wide dirt path that led to the village. Glances were exchanged among the clan before Wolf moved to follow the man, indicating the clan also follow. Suri froze, seeing movement to her left.

"Dad." She hissed sharply, earning his attention. She glanced to the trees. He followed her gaze, and seemed to understand that someone was hiding in the trees. Carefully, he nodded, and turned back around to continue following the man. Suri took a few steps forward before turning and quickly firing an arrow to the left. Murmurs of surprise came from both members of the clan and the small amount of villagers that had moved into the open out of curiosity. She stared at the trees intently, reaching slowly back for a second arrow as a figure slowly emerged from behind the tree that had been shot with the first arrow.

"It's Haru." someone to her right hissed sharply.

"Why's he alone?" someone else demanded.

"He's not _that_ stupid, is he?" Suri glared at her brother as he walked forward like he had already won. Suri pulled an arrow back to her cheek, glaring at his as he sauntered closer.

"Well!" Haru laughed as if the arrows, swords, and a variety of other weapons didn't phase him. "It's wonderful to see you, little sister, alive. Where did all those wounds go? I distinctly remember running your ankle _clean through_ with a sword. Where did that go? That was a pretty big wound to disappear in a few hours. And _you,_ you _freak."_ Haru spat, glowering at Kaito. "What was that show you put on? That ice was you, wasn't it? You killed a man, did you know that? Froze him to death where he stood. Were you the one to heal her? Hmm? But why didn't you do that a good two hours before? Were you perhaps _hesitant?_ You're not _hiding_ your delectably intriguing power from my dear father, are you? How strange. Why would you want to hide such a thing? I would consider hiding such a thing as treason. Odd. You're a strange little puzzle, aren't you? I'll be sure to-" he cut off, jumping aside as Suri fired an arrow, narrowly missing getting pierced in the shoulder. He glared menacingly at her as he gave a loud, piercing whistle. Suri stared, wide-eyed, as members of Mahna clan emerged from the trees. Quickly, she counted 11 in total, including Haru; hardly smaller than their own patrol of 15. She cast a glance to her father, who seemed to be weighing his options.

"Dad...?" she mumbled, barely audible. "What do you want us to do? It'll be a close call if we fight."

"I know that, Suri, st-" he unsheathed his sword when a Mahna warrior pulled back an arrow. Suri paused, confused when he shot it clear to the right. She heard the cry of a young child and tensed. Someone moved. Instantly, energy flowed around her as warriors ran forward, clashing swords with swords, hissing and spitting out insults and accusations. Suri shook her head, clearing her mind, and ran off to the right. She picked up the sobbing village child and skidded off down the road. Skidding to a halt at the nearest villager she saw, she ran over and handed off the petrified girl. The woman looked absolutely mortified.

"Keep her out of the way!" she said quickly, turning around, beginning to sprint back the way she'd come. She stumbled to a halt at the sight of a man standing in the middle of the road. "Get out of here, Haru." she spat, drawing an arrow, moving quickly in the path of the two villagers.

"Why? What do you people care of a few houses? A few useless villagers. They were the ones that tore up your home." he spat, moving carefully forward.

"They're innocent." she hissed, letting an arrow fly. He managed to dodge it, barely clearing his toes out of the way. Instantly, she drew another, pulling it back to her cheek and aiming at his chest.

"You won't kill me." he laughed, dropping his sword. "You wouldn't kill an unarmed man. You don't have it in you. To become a murderer. Go on, do it." he laughed. He waited a moment, then began to laugh again. "You're a coward. You're not even strong enough to shoot me."

"But I'm not." Kaito's voice said darkly from behind him. Haru spun, relaxing when he realized who it was.

"Oh it's just you. The _freak_ wizard." he sneered, smirking widely. "What, do you stalk my sister? Oh, that's creepy. You're a creep and a freak." he glowered down when a thick layer of ice pinned his feet to the ground. "Oh, does that make you angry, freak? Well, sorry, but I wouldn't do anymore if I were you. There are ten more of my clan hiding around us. If you so much as injure me, you will die where you stand. And if I were you," Haru continued through a laugh, "I'd drop you're little ice trick. Look behind you, freak." Instantly, the ice began to crumble and melt until nothing more than a puddle remained, slowly draining away into the dirt road.

"Suri!" the voice of an Fortis warrior shouted as she ran towards them. "It's your father, he's injured!" Suri tensed. She turned and fired an arrow directly at her brother's leg. Caught off guard, he gave a loud yell of pain, he crumbled to the floor, struggling to reach the sword he had dropped. Before he had the chance, Suri darted forward and kicked him hard in the jaw, sending him scrabbling backwards. She darted past him, leaving him to his own clan members who would find him eventually, and ran past Kaito and the warrior, back towards the entrance of the village. She began shoving through the rather large crowd of villagers. She swallowed bile at the sight of her father, leaning heavily on the wall of a building with an arrow pegged into his chest.

"After them!" she snapped at the cluster of alarmed clan members. In an instant, a few people were moving quickly after the Mahna clan members that were beginning to disappear into the trees.

"No!" Wolf ordered instantly, cutting off in a heavy cringe. People stumbled to a stop, staring at him. "He wants you to follow him, don't play into his trap." She moved forward, breathing a sigh of relief as she drew closer to realize that it wasn't in his chest, but in his left shoulder. She stepped forward carefully, slowly moving the tattered edges of his shirt away from the arrow. She held her breath as she inspected the wound, nearly passing out in relief at the sight of a small part of the arrowhead not buried in him. In a sudden movement, she grabbed the shaft of the arrow and pulled hard. Wolf gave a loud groan from the unexpected sharp worsening of pain. A villager from behind her gave a loud shriek. Suri ignored the many sounds of disgust from the villagers and glanced around the group of wizards. Finding who she was looking for, she walked up to an ice wizard that was about her own age. His older sister was a Life Class wizard, and always made him carry around a liquid that helped keep wounds from becoming infected. She took the small pouch from the belt on his side and pulled the cap off. Walking back to her father, she instantly poured the contents of the pouch over the bleeding wound. Wolf gave a restrained groan of pain, cringing heavily. He grumbled out an appreciative sound and pulled away from the wall. "Get back to camp." he hissed angrily, "He won't bother you here again, don't expect anymore help from us." he growled to the crowd of villagers. Reluctantly, Suri followed in the wake of her father. She smiled lightly when she realized that the young girl she had carried out of danger was now in the crowd of villagers. As Suri passed by, the girl gave a tiny wave.

"Try not to run in the way of sharp things, okay?" Suri smiled, ruffling the girls hair playfully, earning a giggle.

"Suri!" she cringed at her father's warning voice from farther away. Instantly, she ran forward to catch up, soon noticing Kaito a little ways ahead, looking tense. She watched as people glanced at him warily, mumbling questions about Haru's accusations. Deliberately, Suri stared intently at the ground before her as she followed behind her father.


	14. Chapter 13: Nightmare

Chapter 13: Nightmare

 _Suri blinked awake, and clambered blearily out of her bed. Startled by the warm thick liquid on her feet, she looked down. She screamed, stumbling back onto the bed at the sight of the thick pool of blood that only grew bigger. She scrambled farther back, crying out as she fell off the opposite side. She Blinked, confused, when she landed on something soft. She looked down, screaming at the sight of a man. She scrambled to her feet only to collapse beside him with a sobbing scream. She managed to scrabble away from the body of her father, staring blindly at the thick blood that now covered her hands. She looked up as someone entered her tent. She stared, unable to make herself move, as Haru strode forward with a laugh. "It's your fault he's dead. Just like Mom. Why are you crying, you're the reason he's dead. Shall I help you get your mind off of him?" Haru's voice echoed around her mind as she struggled to focus on him. He laughed as he grabbed her arm harshly and began to drag her from the tent. Suri sobbed out a protest, struggling to get back to her father's side. She stopped, staring to where Kaito now stood. He looked weak, as if he was half awake and couldn't wake up. "Aren't you going to fight?" Haru laughed at him, dropping his dumbstruck sister in the dirt as he drew his sword. She watched as Kaito weakly moved his staff before him, looking as if he were trying hard to remember how to perform magic. Suri cried out when Haru ran forward agilely. She watched as Haru's blade ran Kaito's torso clean through. She watched him double over in pain, and slowly kneel to the ground. He groaned in pain when Haru ripped the blade out of his body. Kaito coughed. causing blood to spill from his throat. Suri scrambled to her feet, trying to run to the dying man in front of her. She screamed when Haru caught her, shaking her shoulders violently. "Where do you think you're going little sister? You'll regret ever being born when I'm done with you." he hissed darkly in her ear._

 _"Suri..." Kaito managed in a shaky voice. "Suri, wake up..." she stared at him, confused. His voice was abnormally strong for someone who was dying. "Suri..._ Suri!" Suri shrieked, jumping into a sitting position. Breathing heavily, she stared around her, finding Kaito staring at her worriedly as he drew his hands away from her shoulders.

"What... what are you doing in here...?" she managed shakily, trying to lose the image of a blood soaked floor.

"I was awake, and I felt someone's energy level go haywire. I got outside and realized it was yours, and thought something was wrong. I came here and found you having was sounded like a terrible nightmare. It took six tries to wake you from it, are you all right?" Suri gave a small nod. He stared at her, disbelieving. "Do you want to talk about it? Telling someone helps." he said softly, pulling the chair that was beside her bed closer to sit down in front of her.

"I... I thought Dad was dead, I thought you were dead, the camp was empty and covered in blood, I thought everyone was dead." she said quickly, her voice threatening to crack. He looked startled at how quickly she'd come out with it, but shook the thought away as he reached forward. He gripped her wrist and pulled her towards him. She froze, startled, when he pressed her to his chest.

"It's okay. No one's hurt; your father's fine, he's in his tent, sleeping just as everyone else is. Listen. Do you hear that?" he asked in a soft mumble. She gave a small nod, listening to the soft thrumming of his heartbeat. "I'm alive, and so is everyone else. As long as you can still hear that, you've got nothing to worry about. Okay?" he asked, giving a small smile as she pulled away, much calmer now. She didn't reply, but moved forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Thank you." she mumbled in a small voice, slightly embarrassed now that a mere nightmare had shaken her so much to alarm him. "Why are you awake so late anyway...?" she asked suddenly.

"I couldn't sleep. I'm glad I didn't now." he answered, returning the motion of the hug.

"Did you rush trying to get over here...?" she continued. He pulled away, confused now as he stared at her.

"I was a little worried, you seemed panicked. Why?" he asked, confused. She grinned, trying to hold in a fit of giggling as she pointed at his torso. He looked down, still confused. He swore and scrambled to pull the shirt that only had one arm through a sleeve on the rest of the way. She giggled, deciding not to point out that it was also inside-out and backwards. "Sorry." he mumbled, flustered. Suri shook her head softly, smiling lightly at him. "Anyway, you're sure you're all right now...?" he asked suddenly, leaning forward intently.

"Yes, I'm fine now-"

"Good." he answered, cutting her off as he breathed the word out quickly. He leaned forward farther and quickly touched his lips to hers. He pulled away instantly, staring at her, as if waiting for her to react and smack him, or push him away. She stared ahead blankly, not knowing exactly what to do. He stared at her, tensing farther as each second passed. After a long minute that seemed to go on for hours, she flushed a bright red, her eyes growing wide in embarrassment as she attempted to hide her face in her hands. After a long moment, he gave a brief laugh. "I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing." he confessed, intertwining his fingers together on his lap.

"I don't know either." she said in a small voice through her hands.

"Sorry." he mumbled, defeated after a long moment. Suri stared at him through her fingers. He looked angry with himself. Slowly, she lowered her arms, looking back up at him.

"Don't be sorry, Kaito, you have nothing to be sorry for." Suri soothed carefully. He stared at her, looking confused, but a little hopeful. She gave a small, shy smile. After a long moment, he grinned broadly, and reached forward to ruffle her hair.

"You should go back to sleep. Do you think you'll be all right?" he asked, standing and putting the chair back in its original place.

"Thanks, Kaito." she said with a nod as he turned away. "Wait, I have a question." she said suddenly, causing him to pause, mid-step. He looked back at her over his shoulder expectantly. "When we were in Mahna, you said when you came here, it was weird seeing someone dip their head. And you said you used to shake hands. What's that?" she asked, earning a laugh from him as he turned back to her. He walked back over to her bedside and extended his right hand to her. She stared at it for a moment, then looked at him, confused.

"Take my hand." he said through an amused smile. Still confused, she raised her own hand to his. "Right hand." he added. Suri extended her right hand towards him, wondering why it was important to use the right hand. He took her hand in his with a firm grip. She stared as he brought their hands up, and then lowered them again in one quick motion. She was confused when he released her hand, expecting there to be more. "That's it." he laughed, his arm at his side now.

"Somehow I pictured more entertainment in that." she said, staring at her hand as she lowered her own back to her lap.

"There was plenty of entertainment in it for me. That's the formal greeting of the village I come from. Now you know, if you're ever there, what to do if you meet someone." he chuckled, turning back around. "Now get some rest."


	15. Chapter 14: Protective Father

Chapter 14: Protective Father

The next morning, Suri emerged from her tent having heard her father call her name. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, and walked the small expanse of land up to her father. He held open his tent for her as she approached. Confused, she walked inside, startled to see Kaito sitting in a chair across her father's seat before his desk. He gave a strained smile when she sat beside him. "What's this about?" Suri asked, looking up at her father as he passed by her and took his seat across from them.

"I wanted to talk to you both," he said as he looked to them both in turn, "about what happened at that Mahna camp." he looked to Kaito as he finished.

"I don't know what you mean, Sir." Kaito said carefully, swallowing hard.

"What Haru spoke of at that village, Kaito, raised quite a few questions from the clan. Enemy or not, I do not believe he would create such a thing." Wolf explained patiently. "Now would either of you care to fill me in on what you experienced in that camp?" he asked, looking back to Suri as he finished. She looked down at her hands that remained in her lap, not knowing what to do. "He spoke of you, Kaito, using a class of Wizardry that is not yours. Yet you returned home with no self injury. Now I don't want to hear any lies from either of you. Well?" he pressed, looking intently at each of them.

"Dad, nothing happened like th-"

"I said no lies, Suri. The truth." he turned to Kaito at that, who looked like he wanted to be sick. "Kaito?" he pressed when he didn't speak. "Is there something you would like to tell me?"

"Sir, I would like to request that what I tell you not reach the clan." Kaito said stiffly. Suri stared at him, startled. Wolf seemed to consider this for a few moments, but then gave a nod. "Do you remember about seven or so years ago, the fire that happened to the south...?" Wolf stared at him, confused by the random question. Again, he nodded. "That... was me." Kaito said hesitantly.

"What?" Wolf demanded, sitting up sharply to stare at him, shocked. "I scolded every single apprentice about that fire, and using the specific clearing for training spells! That was you?" Kaito cringed, looking down. "Explain this." he demanded sourly.

"I didn't intend to. It got out of control, and back then, I couldn't think. So I ran, and someone else found it and got help to put it out." Kaito said quickly, trying pathetically to defend his twelve-year-old self.

"You're an Energy Class wizard, and you performed fire at such a young age and didn't even injure yourself?" Wolf asked, intrigued now. Kaito gave a reluctant nod.

"I... I can perform every Class. I ask that you keep this between the three of us. I do not know how or why I can do this. If I discover the reasoning, then I swear on my life that I will not withhold it." Kaito said in a grim tone. Wolf stared at him for a long moment.

"Demonstration?" Wolf inquired, resting his chin on a bed of his fingers. Kaito gave a small nod, reaching down and plucking a single blade of grass from the ground. He sat back up and held the blade of grass out before him.

"Ice." Kaito said as the green blade slowly turned a light brown color, and soon frosted over. "Fire." the now dead grass began to smoke, catching quickly on fire before it smothered into soot, crumbling to the ground. "Storm." A strong breeze swayed the entrance of the tent, and Suri's hair splayed in every direction. She cried out and struggled to contain it in her hands. After a moment, the sound of rain began to patter softly on the roof of the tent. "Energy." Kaito looked at Suri and reached over to take hold of her wrist. Figuring out what he was doing, she struggled to pull her arm free. After a moment, her movements slowed, and her body began to relax. She mumbled a weak protest as she slumped into the back of her chair. He loosened his grip on her arm, allowing her energy to slowly return to her. He reached forward and picked up a dagger that rested on Wolf's desk. Carefully, he dragged the tip across his palm. He held his bloody palm forward for Wolf to see. "Life." he said as the wound began to heal slowly. For a long moment, Wolf just stared at his wound-free palm. Silently, Kaito wiped the blade clean and placed it carefully back in it's place on Wolf's desk.

"This." Wolf said, removing his chin from the bed of fingers. "Is a big thing you're asking me to keep from my clan." He clasped his hands together, looking at Suri briefly before looking back to Kaito. "But, I suppose in the eleven years you've been here, we've managed to get along just fine without the knowledge of your abilities. I suppose I can't exactly ask you to teach something you yourself don't even fully understand to the others." Kaito's body slumped in relief as Wolf spoke. He took a deep breath as he glanced at his daughter. "Suri, I would like to speak with him privately for a moment, please. You're free to go." he said dismissively.

"But Daddy, I-"

"You've been dismissed, Suri." Wolf continued sternly. She stared at him for a long moment, but reluctantly got to her feet, dipped her head respectfully, and quickly left her father's tent. Glad that it was still a little early and the camp was nearly empty, she walked around to the back of the tent and crouched low, listening hard. After a moment, she heard her father's voice travel through the thin walls of the tent. "Kaito, this... ability of yours, it is an incredibly powerful gift. If you were to use your gifts in battle, you would be quite the opponent to face. But, seeing as you have regrettably requested that word and use of this ability be kept hidden, I have a very serious and complicated position for you. Should you ever fail me in this task, you can forget anything stay hidden. And you will probably suffer banishment. Possibly death. Are you willing to accept that risk? If not, then no secret will be kept."

"If that risk places my sister in any form of danger, then I will decline." Kaito said instantly, sounding tense.

"No harm will come to young Hana, I guarantee that." Wolf said solemnly.

"I accept the risk, Sir." Kaito said carefully after a long pause.

"This power of yours is an exceptional gift. I will not expect you to use this gift of yours in battle if you use it to protect Suri. Under any circumstance, even if it does come to using that power to protect her. You do whatever you can in your power to keep my daughter safe. I may be old, boy, but I am not blind. I see the way you look at her, and I see the way she looks at you. If you bring any form of harm to my daughter, I swear to you, Kaito Yurushi, on the grave of my wife, I will kill you. Am I clear?" Wolf asked in a deadly flat tone.

"Yes, Sir." Kaito stammered, sounding alarmed. "Very clear." he added quickly.

"Good. You may go, I will tell no one. And Suri, you can stop hiding now, Child!" Wolf said loudly. Suri swore under her breath and scrambled away quickly. "Running doesn't make you innocent, young lady, I saw you hiding!" She disappeared into her tent, sitting innocently on the edge of her bed, trying to hold in a laugh.


	16. Chapter 15: Another Capture

Chapter 15: Another Capture

Suri emerged from her tent a little while later, seeing Kaito waving his little sister off as she and another apprentice disappeared into the forest. "Where are they going?" Suri asked as she approached. He glanced at her, smiling calmly.

"Rin needs some ingredients for a healing poultice. Hana wanted to go with her." he replied as he made a face at her. "You're terrible at hiding. I hope you know that. Wolf basically watched you walk around the tent." he laughed.

"Well, I wasn't necessarily trying to hide." she confessed pathetically. He grinned, ruffling her hair lightly. She protested and attempted to smooth her hair back down. She looked at his hand as he drew it away, noticing a golden ring wrapped around his index finger. She reached forward and drew his hand back up, interested now. "Is this it?" she asked after a moment. He gave a nod, drawing the ring free and handing it to her for a better look. Engraved along the outside of the band was a language she didn't recognize. Written in strange lettering was the words 'Μην ξεχνάς όπου ανήκετε.' She stared at it, confused. "What does this mean?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I was told it means 'Do not forget where you belong.' I don't know the language. I suppose it was that strange language Kouta would randomly use without intending to." he explained, taking the ring from her outstretched hand and slipping it back in its place on his finger. He knelt beside the entrance of his tent, sitting down and leaning his head back against the tent. She set beside him, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"What was your village like?" she asked calmly, the warm spring air comforting.

"Most people aren't usually this interested in me, how come you are?" he laughed softly,closing his eyes. "It was a lot more complex than the village on the edge of the forest, I'll tell you that. It was easy to get lost if you didn't know your way. There's a whole street with nothing but a bunch of little shops. Mom used to take me to the bakery all the time; before she got pregnant with Hana, she loved walking all over the town. Dad didn't ever really go with her, but I liked to." he smiled at the memory.

"What was your mom like?" Suri asked after a moment.

"Well, in my village, you don't choose your spouse. You're betrothed to someone at age eight. Mom was really nice, but my dad... Well, he could have used a lesson or two on compassion. He worked a lot, and wasn't all that great of help at home. But Mom loved him. She talked to him about a lot of things, and occasionally, he'd laugh and join in her conversations. He wasn't a bad guy, he just didn't openly express himself. Even though I never actually heard him say it, I think he really loved her back. But then the skirmishes began to happen between the villages. Gangs started, and it became dangerous to go out after sunset. Mom didn't like me out past the yard anymore.

"Dad went out to help fight a lot. I remember Mom used to go to their room and wouldn't come out for a good hour or two. She was scared he wouldn't come home, I understand that now. But then, all I could understand was that Dad was making Mom sad. I was mad at him for a while, but when they found out Mom was pregnant again with Hana, he stayed home more. After a few months, things got way worse. I remember I went outside once, and a man walked up to the fence and started threatening me. Mom pulled me inside and refused to let me outside again for a good two weeks. Later, when Mom was very far along on her pregnancy, someone tried to burn our house. Dad got it out before it hurt anyone, but that's when Mom decided that she didn't want me in that danger, and she didn't want my unborn sister born into an environment like that. The rest, you heard." Kaito continued softly, his voice calm and relaxed. Suri stared at him, confused on how he seemed perfectly fine with the fact that he left his family and home so suddenly. With a newborn child, no less.

"Kaito, Kaito, Kaito, Kaito, please help!" the voice of a young girl trilled as she slammed her way into the camp in panic. Kaito looked up, startled. The panicked girl ran over, tugging hard on his arm, begging him to get up.

"Hey, what is it, what's going on, where's Hana?" Kaito demanded, jumping to his feet. A concerned crowd had now gathered around them. The girl tried to speak, but her voice was lost in sobs. A Life Class wizard ran forward, drawing his apprentice into his arms, trying to sooth her softly. Kaito knelt before the girl, bringing himself to her eye level. "Rin, what happened?" Kaito pressed softly, his shoulders tense.

"We were out digging roots for a poultice by the river, and she left to wash them off while I kept digging. But she took a long time, so I went to check on her, and when I got to the river, some big guys were dragging her away, she was knocked out, I couldn't catch up to them, they were too fast. They had the Mahna Clan mark on their shoulders, they took her across the border, I couldn't keep up." she said quickly, hardly sounding as if she took any breath before burying her face in her mentor's shoulder.

"Wolf..." Kaito said desperately as Suri's father approached. "I won't leave her there, not if they treat her like they did us. She's a child, Wolf, you have to let me-"

"I know." Wolf said, cutting off the flustered plea. "The battle is still set to happen in three days time." Kaito stiffened as he spoke. "But I think Haru has taken it too far. We attack tonight at dusk." he growled, earning a loud cheer of approval from the clan around him. "No one under 16 is to attend. No exceptions." as soon as he spoke, people scattered to gather equipment, weapons and supplies. Kaito stood, looking unhappy with the decision.

"Wolf, Sir, I can't wait until dusk. My sister is in danger, I can't wait until then. Please, Sir, you must let me go to protect her." Kaito said in a rush.

"No." Wolf said, a warning in his voice. "I know you're worried about the child, as is the entire clan, but you will not put yourself in danger. We move out at dusk." he turned and walked briskly away. Suri stood hesitantly, walking carefully to his side.

"Kaito...?" she asked hesitantly, afraid to set him off. He shook his head violently, turning and disappearing into his tent. Worried, she followed him, finding him sitting in a chair beside a small table with his head in his hands. "What are you going to do?" she asked, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I'm not sitting around here while the sun takes it's sweet time going down, if that's what you're asking." he said stiffly, getting up again and picking up his staff.

"What?" Suri demanded, startled. "Kaito, we're going to get her back once it gets-"

"I can't wait that long. She could be killed in that time, or worse. I won't sit here like everything's fine while my little sister is being terrified out of her mind. I'm going to get her back." he said, starting for the exit.

"I'm going with you." Suri said determinedly. He stopped in his tracks, turning on her.

"No." he said defensively. "No, I won't put you in that danger; you're staying here."

"And I'm supposed to just stay here and let you go? My dad just said not to leave, I could go right to him as soon as you walk out into those trees. And then I follow you anyway. Your choice, Kaito." she said, folding her arms stubbornly.

"Or I could just drain your energy and leave you here. Win-win for me and Wolf. You stay here, and out of danger. Your father wants you safe, so do I. So just stay here and for once do as you're told, okay?" he sighed, exasperated.

"I'm going with you, Kaito." Suri insisted, frustrated.

"No, you're not." Kaito repeated, his fingers shimmering with a tan-like color. Suri stepped back instantly.

"Do it and my father will kill you in a heartbeat." she spat, glancing nervously at his hand. "Kaito, please, just let me come. I want to help." she pleaded softly.

"Suri, my sister's safety is on the line, and I told Wolf I wouldn't let any harm come to you-"

"He can't lock me here and expect me to be a _good girl_ and hide. I won't get hurt. I want to help your sister get home safe. And right now, shes in more danger than I am, so just let me come. And get her to safety." Suri said, cutting off his defensive statement. He glowered at her for a long moment. She stared back, refusing to look away. He groaned, hanging his head.

"Fine. You can come. But I want you to swear to me, right now, that if anything goes terribly wrong, and there is an opening for you to get out, you'll take it. You'll get yourself out."He squared his shoulders as he spoke.

"But I-"

"Swear it, Suri. Now. Or you're not coming and that's final." he said sternly, cutting off her protest.

"Fine, I promise." she growled, frustrated. He gave a curt nod.

"Let's go. And don't draw attention to us." he grumbled, turning and walking quickly from the tent and across the camp.


	17. Chapter 16: Rescue Mission

Chapter 16: Rescue mission

This time, they ran into no one at the border. Treading carefully, trying not to make too much noise, they made their way slowly into Mahna territory. Suri grew uneasy and notched an arrow in her bow, following closely behind Kaito, who led the way. Periodically he would pause, using Energy Magic to sense the location of the camp by the energy of the people inside. "Nearly there." he said in a low voice, turning a little to the left and continuing. After a few more steps, he paused. Turning around, he pulled Suri behind him. "Come out, now." he ordered, staring into the trees. After a moment, a figure stepped out into view.

"Energy Class are really annoying. Can't sneak up on them no matter what you do. You got a little too close for comfort." the woman said darkly as she came into better view. Her black hair was tied back in a short tail. She held the staff of a Storm Class wizard, and a sword strapped to her side. Kaito stiffened when her hand grew a deep gray color, like a cloud ready to begin the downpour. Suri pulled her arrow back sharply.

"Take us to your camp." Kaito said unwillingly, holding up a hand to signal Suri to stand down. Reluctantly, she lowered her bow. The woman looked slightly disappointed, but shrugged and let the storm cloud dissolve. Suri cringed when the woman ripped her bow from her grasp. She then turned and followed closely behind Kaito as the wizard started off in the direction of the camp.

The woman called out a warning as they entered the Mahna camp. Instantly, heads popped out of tents, looking to see who it was. Haru walked calmly out of his tent, and upon seeing them, smiled a wide sneer. "You just couldn't stay away, could you?" he challenged lightly. Kaito moved in front of Suri again, waiting for the other man to make a move. "Is there a reason this time, or is this just a little friendly vis-"

"Where is my sister?" Kaito spat impatiently. Haru looked momentarily confused.

"Wait, you mean by some miracle, that thing is your sister? Is she a freak too?" he laughed, striding forward slowly. "It's odd that you two idiots think you can just run in here whenever you want. Especially you, little sister. You are probably the least welcome here. Does your father know you're here? Or are you being an idiotic rebellious trou-"

"Stop avoiding the question." Kaito snapped, fighting hard to stay calm. Haru glared at him, then shrugged.

"Bring the brat." he called out, sounding bored. After a long moment, two wizards came into view, holding the struggling girl between them.

"Kaito!" she shrieked when she saw them, trying harder to break free. She cried out when the hand of the Fire Class wizard holding her left arm flashed a brief red.

"Let her go." Kaito growled, his hands balling into tight fists. "Now. She's a child."

"She's an enemy. And we don't show mercy to anyone here. Especially not the sibling of a _freak_ wizard." Haru argued, nodding to the fire wizard again. This time, the wizard hesitated. "Well?" Haru spat furiously, glaring angrily at the wizard. The wizard stammered, glancing down at the young girl his leader wanted mortally injured. Haru walked slowly forward, slowly approaching the wizard as he grew even more anxious. As Haru reached the man, he gave a sudden movement. Drawing his sword he drove the blade harshly into the stomach of the man. Hana screamed as the man dropped his hold on her as he fell to the floor, dying. Instantly, she struggled hard against the other hand holding her still. She managed to break loose from the grip, and ran quickly for her brother. "No you don't, brat." Haru snapped, managing to take hold of her hair as she ran past. She screamed, sobbing as he dragged her back and held the bloody blade to her throat. Kaito froze, halfway across the clearing by now. Suri glanced around, trying to find a weapon.

"Let her go!" Kaito demanded, his eyes not moving from his sister. Haru grinned as he began to slowly put pressure on the blade. Kaito looked down at his hand, and balled it quickly into a fist. Suri watched as his body instantly disappeared. He appeared again directly in front of Haru, who gave a yell of alarm. Kaito pulled Haru's hand that held the blade away from his sister and kicked him hard in the gut. Quickly, Suri darted over to a warrior that was distracted by Haru and ripped the bow from his shoulder, and tore an arrow from the quiver on his shoulder. Dodging his lunge, she managed to pull the arrow back to her cheek. She moved closer carefully, trying to get a clear shot at Haru. Shouting a warning to Kaito, she let the string propel the arrow forward. Instantly, she was shrouded in angry Mahna clan members. Suri struggled angrily against the hands that pulled her arms securely behind her back. She felt a strong rope bind her hands. She struggled against them for a moment before someone struck her hard on the back of the head. She watched someone run to Haru and help him up. She watched his mouth move as he shouted something at her, but all she heard was a high pitched ringing as everything clouded, and began to fade to black.

Suri woke up to rain pattering softly on her head. She mumbled in pain and slowly lifted her head. Confused, she stared around at the unfamiliar surroundings. Staring around her, she remembered where she was and instantly tugged hard on her bindings. "Suri? Are you awake?" Kaito's voice startled her from behind. She struggled to turn her body to face him, only to discover that her ankles were tied down before her, keeping her from turning.

"Where are you?" she hissed, struggling to turn her head to find him.

"Behind you. Stuck to a steak just as you are. Are you all right?" Kaito asked quickly. Suri waited for the warrior a few feet away to stop glaring at them before risking to answer.

"I'm fine." She said after nodding and realizing that he probably couldn't see her either. "Where's Hana?"

"Unconscious between us." Kaito said, sounding bitterly angry. "We'll have to figure out how to get out without getting spotted. I'm out in the open this time, someone will notice the burning ropes. Any weapons concealed on you?"

"A dagger in my boot. But that's kind of out of reach, as my ankle is tied down too." she responded, stopping suddenly at the sight of her brother.

"I do hope you're quite done planning the escape that won't happen." he said as he paced in front of her. Suri glared at him as he slowly inched closer each time he turned to walk the other way. He paused, staring at the quiver of her arrows that leaned against someone's tent a few feet away. "These arrows..." he said, walking over quickly and picking one up to study it carefully. "Did Dad give these to you?" Suri stared at him, confused at the random question. Remaining quiet, she glared at him. "They were Mom's, did you know that? I suppose he wouldn't have told you. As Mom's kind of a hard topic for you, seeing as you're the one who killed her. These must be pretty special to you, I wonder what would happen if I-" he snapped the arrow in half, letting the center splinter out towards her. "-Broke one." Suri thrashed against her restraints, trying to strike out.

"You little son of a-"

"Suri, don't. He's just trying to anger you, don't give him that satisfaction." Kaito said icily. Suri hesitated a moment, looking away as she clenched her jaw tight. Haru glanced at him irritably.

"You know, I don't remember you ever listening to someone that wasn't Dad. How odd, this little pet of yours could get to you so much that you'd-"

"He's not my pet. That's disgusting." Suri growled, still averting his gaze. She tensed when he ripped a dagger from his belt. Cutting her ankles free, he dragged her by the foot around in a small circle. He dropped her when she sat now facing Kaito.

"So he's not important to you." Haru continued, spinning the blade in his hand. Her hands balled into fists as Haru slowly walked to Kaito, who glared at him as he stepped carefully over the unconscious child on the ground. "Then you wouldn't mind if I-" he cut off, letting the action of his hand bringing the blade harshly towards Kaito's neck finish his sentence. Suri shrieked, throwing her body forward, forgetting that she was restrained to the ground. Kaito's body remained tense; his eyes closed to the blade that had yet to pierce his neck. Haru's hand remained with the tip of the blade barely grazing the skin of it's target. "Oh." Haru said, chuckling darkly. "So you do care what happens to him." Kaito exhaled in relief as the blade drew away. "Well here, let me teach him a little something. Show him a little preview of what happens when you _mess_ with my little _sister!_ " he spat, stabbing the dagger hard into Kaito's left shoulder. Suri could almost feel the energy around them as his magic went haywire in the unexpected blow. Haru took a step back, startled by the wave of energy that excited every clan member within range. "What was _that?"_ Haru spat, stepping forward again and tearing the blade free, earning a second pained groan from the man at his feet. "You can't even control your _freak_ magic!" he laughed.

"Kaito...?" Hana's small voice mumbled as she slowly pushed herself up. She blinked, startled when she found that she couldn't move very far. She screamed when she looked up to find her brother's arm soaked in blood. Haru rolled his eyes irritably, glowering at the loud child. "What did you do to him, don't hurt him, Kaito!" she shrieked, struggling to get to her brother.

"Get the brat out of my sight." Haru spat, glaring at the clan around them. Instantly, a wizard stepped forward, cut her loose and began to drag the now screaming girl away. After a moment, her screaming cut off abruptly.

"Hana!" Kaito managed to yell unevenly through a groan of pain. Suri could only stare helplessly as he bled heavily, blood already soaking past his chest, turning the cloth of his shirt dark around his ribs. Haru grinned as he made his way slowly back to Suri. His smile dropped as he watched the ground begin to frost over, reaching towards him from the bloody form. He laughed as the ice faltered and quickly began to crack weakly. Suri swallowed hard, staring at him as his body relaxed weakly. He looked pale and tired. She knew he was losing far too much blood to use magic. Suri leaned away from him as Haru knelt beside her. Bringing his bloody dagger down on the rope that tied her down, she gasped, struggling to break free of the ropes that still held her hands together. She cried out in pain when he pulled her arms at an odd angle to get her to her feet.

"Shut up." he spat, jostling her sharply. Suri struggled hard when he began to pull her away.

"Let go of me! You sick, twisted, disgusting _monster!"_ He ignored her, continuing to drag her off. "You crazy murderer! Let me go-" she cut off with a cry as the back of his left hand struck her sharply. Finding her opportunity, she reached down in the shock of the strike. Managing to get her fingers around the blade hidden in her boot, she drew it out quickly. Turning the blade, she quickly severed the rope and brought the blade hard into Haru's hand that gripped her shirt collar. He cried out in surprised pain, realizing too late that he had released her. Darting quickly away, she managed to make it back to the main clearing, quickly reclaiming her weapons. Turning, she pegged an arrow at her brother who had followed after her. Running into a tent to her right, she managed to cut Hana, awake now and crying softly, free of her bindings. Leading the younger girl from the tent, she shot an arrow quickly at a man who tried to shout out an alarm. Confused on why the Mahna Clan never seemed out of their tents, she ran over to the semi-conscious Kaito and dragged him to his feet. Stumbling heavily, she breathed a sigh of relief when Hana began to help ward off the small amount of people brought out by the disturbance. People skidded harshly on the ice that suddenly appeared underneath their feet as they ran forward. Glad that the Mahna camp was relatively small, it only took a few seconds to reach the doors. Shoving them open, she dragged Kaito through. Hana shrieked, dodging fire as she slammed the doors closed. Suri dragged Kaito further towards the trees as Hana paused at the door, creating a thick layer of ice over the door. Turning, she ran back to Suri and began helping Suri drag her now fully unconscious brother into the cover of the trees.

"That won't hold for long, the Fire Class will get through in a few minutes." Hana panted, worriedly glancing back.

"A few minutes is enough. Just help me get him over the boarder. Freeze the ground beneath him as we go, it'll help if we can just slide him and not drag him through everything." Suri ordered through her teeth. Managing to go a little faster with the ice, Suri dragged the limp body as fast as she could manage towards the boarder.


	18. Chapter 17: Banishment

Chapter 17: Banishment

Suri placed Kaito down once she felt they were a safe distance across the border. She stared at him for a long moment, wondering if he was dead. She shook away the thought and handed Hana a small pouch from her side. "Go to the river and fill this with water. And be careful." she ordered, relieved when his sister turned away from her dying brother and ran off into the trees. Suri knelt carefully beside him, dragging a blade up his blood-soaked shirt. Pushing the tattered remains of the shirt away, she cringed at the sight of the wound. She hadn't realized how deep the blade pierced. She shook her head again of the thoughts of seeing the boat carry away the dead body of her mother. Cutting away pieces of the shirt that were not soaked in blood already, she pressed them to the wound, trying to ignore the blood now on her hands. When she was satisfied with the makeshift bandaging, she held her hair back and pressed her ear to his chest. She released a breath she didn't realize she was holding when she heard the faint drumming of his heartbeat.

"Suri." Hana's voice startled her as the young girl walked forward, handing the water-filled pouch back to her. Suri nodded in thanks, turning back to Kaito. Tearing free yet another piece of his shirt, she soaked it in the water and began to clean away some of the blood from around the wound.

"Wake up." Suri mumbled, pouring a small amount of the water onto his forehead. Tense, she stared at him for a long moment, waiting. What felt like years later, Kaito gave a meek cough, his eyes opening slightly. Hana gave a cry of relief as she threw herself at her brother. Groaning in pain at the impact, he lightly hugged her back, then pushed her softly off. "Drink this." Suri demanded, tilting his head back and helping his shaking hands to hold the pouch of water. "Hana, more water?" Suri asked softly. Hana nodded, enthusiastically taking the empty pouch and running off again. For a long moment, no one spoke.

"Stop staring at me like a drowned puppy." he grumbled into the silence. Instantly, Suri looked away, staring down at the ground. She couldn't help but be aware of how shallow his breathing was. She jumped when his entire body went rigid, a small groan of pain escaping him. She protested when she realized that he had begun to pull the bandaging away from the wound. Her voice faded away when she realized that the wound was beginning to slowly heal. He cringed frequently, feeling the wound pull itself closed, his breathing now quick wit the effort of performing magic. After a few minutes, he relaxed, laying back on the soft grass, breathing heavily. "Thank you." he said after a long time. Suri began to shake her head to quiet him, but he continued. "You saved my life. And Hana's. Thank you. There is no way to express to you how grateful I am to you that she is all right. Thank you, Suri." she couldn't help but notice that his voice sounded sluggish, and his body remained still, looking exhausted. A few seconds later, Hana came quickly back into view. Handing the pouch to Suri again, she knelt beside her brother.

"How did..." she gasped, staring at his shoulder that was now healed.

"A Life Class came by." Kaito said softly, smiling at her. "I sent her back to camp. I'm okay now. No more worrying, okay?" he reached up to softly smooth her hair down. The motion seemed to help calm her, earning a small nod. Ignoring the protest from Suri, Kaito slowly pulled himself to a sitting position. Eventually, with the help of his staff, he managed to make it to his feet.

"I would ask what it is you kids are doing out here. But sadly, I already know." Suri tensed at the sound of her father's stared, frozen in her place on the ground, as her father leaned against a tree, folding his arms over his chest as he glared angrily at each of them.

"Sir, I-"

"You deliberately ignored my order, Boy." Wolf spat, cutting him off. "Not only that, you put yourself in danger. Your sister was in enough, you going there only placed her in more danger! You know why, Boy? Because you being tormented by them putting her through pain is a win-win! And on top of all that, you put my daughter in danger as well. You've got quite the nerve, Boy, thinking you can get away with every little thing because of your power. That arrogance will be the death of you, Boy, if you don't watch your step. And you!" he growled, pinching Suri's ear between his fingers and pulling his protesting daughter to her feet. "Young lady, I don't even know where to begin with you!" Suri looked down, not wanting to meet his gaze. "We were on the way over to that clan to fight, but I saw _you_ dragging _him_ away! Suri, I can't believe you would disobey me _again_ for the same damn thing! You're my daughter, Suri! You know what that means for you. If I die, the position of leader falls to you. What would happen if you died too? Huh? You need to think of what your life means before you go off and throw it away for some _boy."_

"Dad, I-"

"Get back to camp. If I find out that you took _one step_ outside of that camp, Suri, you're going to regret it." he hissed, glaring furiously down at her. "You two stay. I'm not done with you." he said coldly, addressing Kaito and Hana now.

"But Dad, just let me-"

" _Now!"_ he yelled loudly, causing her to cringe. After a long moment, she gave a small nod. Silently, she turned and began to make her way slowly back to the camp.

After about half an hour in the nearly empty camp, Suri breathed a sigh of relief when Kaito and Hana silently entered the camp. Running up to them, she froze when Hana instantly darted away, running to the safety of her tent. "What..." Suri started, stopping herself when she noticed Kaito's expression. "What's wrong...?" she asked in a small voice.

"Hello." he greeted in a flat tone. "And... and farewell." Suri stared at him, confused. After a long moment, her eyes widened.

"What... what _happened?"_ she gasped, stepping back.

"I'm... I'm a _danger_ to everyone here. I'm a danger to you, I'm a danger to your father, I'm too dangerous to be here. So we're leaving. Wolf decided it would be best for us to go back to our village. So this, Suri Minamoto, is goodbye. I will never place you in danger again. For what... pain I have caused you, I regret. But I won't cause you anymore. Excuse me, I have to go gather my things. And my sister." he dipped his head low, then brushed past her quickly. Not even five minutes later, he exited his tent carrying a small bag. She watched as he walked calmly to his sister's tent. "Hana? Are you ready?" he asked bluntly. After a moment with no reply, he pulled her tent open. Instantly, his sister protested loudly. He sighed, shaking his head. "Don't make this difficult. Come on." he ordered sternly, earning a violent shake of the head. Entering her tent, he exited a moment later, dragging his struggling sister by her wrist. He paused when he realized someone was now blocking his path. He stared at her for a long moment. She looked down, staring at the hand he had extended towards her. Suddenly angry, she smacked his hand away. "Suri-"

"Stop." she snapped angrily. "Stop talking like that, stop trying to act like leaving doesn't bother you, stop thinking that once you step out of the forest, all of this will just disappear." she glanced down, clenching her jaw. Striking out, she struck his hand hard with the pommel of a dagger. Kaito glared at her when Hana managed to get free and move away from him.

"If your father comes back, and we're still here, he may very well kill us. Suri, not everything can happen the way you want it. Sorry, but this is just how it has to be." he said stiffly, once again holding out his hand. She glared at it for a long moment.

"Fine." she spat, smacking his hand away. "Go." she shoved him hard, pushing him away. Turning, she moved quickly to her father's tent, disappearing inside.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kaito demanded, following her to the tent.

"What do you care?" she hissed, picking up the bow her father used to train her when she was an apprentice. "What difference is it to you if I go fight? My existence doesn't mean anything to you, why should you care what I'm doing?"

"Stop putting words in my mouth!" he snapped, catching her off guard with the sudden volume of his voice. "I _never_ said I don't care." he growled, his voice lower now.

"You were willing to leave so easily. You didn't even fight back, did you? Did you even _try?_ Did you even try to explain? No, you just let him tell you how _dangerous_ you are to me! Does my father really have that much of an impact on your mind? Go ahead, then. Get out, run away, go home. If that's what you call it." she slung a quiver over her shoulder, drawing an arrow.

"Suri, I-"

"No." she hissed. "Go. Get out. Leave here and go on caring about no one but you; you and your _secret_ that's so important. You don't even want to be here, I wish you'd never come here! I wish I'd never met you. You don't belong here, so just go!" she froze, catching herself too late. He stared at her for a long moment. He gave a slow, deliberate nod before turning, and leaving the tent. She stared as he crossed the camp to his sister. Again, Hana began to struggle and beg to stay. After a moment, she saw the shimmer of magic and Hana's body relax. He picked her up, hauling her over his shoulder, and continued out of the camp. Angrily wiping the salt water on her cheeks away, she shoved out of the camp. Refusing to look to her left at the man walking away, she began running towards the border. Wolf had taken the clan to Mahna territory to fight for the forest. Suri followed in the wake of her clan members, heading once again for her brother's territory.


	19. Chapter 18: The Battle

Chapter 18: The Battle

Suri paused outside of the camp, listening to the battle going on behind the thick-set trees that created the walls of the camp. Stepping forward, she climbed nimbly up a thick trunk of an American plane tree, one of its thick branches clearly had been cut short. It had grown back slowly over the years, and neglected or forgotten and now stretched slightly into the camp, giving Suri a birds eye view of the battle below. She stared, biting her lip, at the pure chaos below. Slowly, she inched along the branch, testing it's ability to hold her weight. She moved slowly towards the camp along the tree, trying to locate Haru. She watched with a grimace as a strong Fortis warrior managed to get his sword under the arm of the Mahna woman he faced, stabbing her through the stomach to the hilt. He stumbled back, shoving the dead body off of him in mild surprise. They were trained warriors, though many of them had never truly taken a life. His stupor was short lived, as he immediately had to spin to block the oncoming sword of an angry warrior whom Suri assumed had seen him kill the woman. Suri shrieked in surprise when ice crept along the branch, trapping her left foot securely to the thich branch. Turning as best she could, she pulled an arrow back to her cheek, looking through the thick branches to the ground, trying to see who had found her. "You know, after that, most people would let you run off to your death." Kaito grumbled, walking forward and glowering up at her with a challenge in his eyes.

"What are you..." she hissed trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Well, I was going to let you run in there idiotically and pull off the heroic entrance. But I figured that was stupid and overdone, so-" she raised a hand, signaling him to stop talking. An instinct many people have, the ability to hear the voice of someone they know well out from a crowd, even a battle full of enraged screaming and clanging weapons, kicking in. She glared down through through the branches, searching frantically for the source of the cry she had heard. She gasped, spotting her father down below, within jumping distance, throwing a heavy warrior off of his shoulders. Suri gasped, watching him face off with the warrior who managed to regain his footing and advance again. Being distracted by the warrior before him, he didn't seem to notice a tall, broad shouldered man inching up behind him. Tensing, Suri turned her glare down the the man still standing at the foot of the tree, tugging harshly at the ice quickly numbing her foot. Raising an eyebrow, he released the grip, allowing her to scramble along the branch with a now damp ankle.

Ignoring Kaito's shout of protest, she gripped hard to the thinning branch, swinging her body down and letting herself drop down with forward momentum. She tumbled slightly, but somehow managed to land on her feet, catching herself and the two fighting warriors she'd landed between completely by surprise. "Suri!" shouted the man beside her, managing to stop the sword he had been swinging towards his opponent. "What the Hell?" he shouted, gasping for air. Ignoring him, she darted in the direction she had seen her father, managing to avoid the blade of the man she had jumped in front of. With a loud scream, she threw herself on top of the man that was tensing to lunge at her father, his sword drawn and poised. She threw her weight, managing to catch the bigger man entirely off guard as he stumbled back and away from his target. Suri tumbled off of him just as Wolf managed to dispatch the warrior that had hindered him. He spun, staring at her with astonishment. His expression quickly changed to a glare when he realized who stood before him. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as Suri shot an arrow past his left ear, striking a Mahna wizard down quickly. Wolf spun, blocking the swing of a sword with his own, the clang of metal ringing through the air. Suri gasp, spinning as someone landed a hard blow to her side.

Managing to stifle the grimace, she jumped away, drawing a dagger from her side, she deflected the sword directed at her neck as she used her free hand to withdraw her sword. She gasped when she felt her back press up against another's. Glancing over her shoulder, she was relieved to find it to be Wolf. He, however, returned her glance with a glare. "What are you doing here?" he spat over his shoulder, focusing again on his own opponent.

"A simple 'thank you' would suffice for the person who just protected you from getting stabbed to death." Suri grumbled, again flicking the sword away with her dagger. Using the recovery time of the man gearing up to swing again, she reached to her side and unsheathed her own sword.

"I told you you were to stay in the camp!" he hissed through his teeth, pressing his weight into his sword that help the enemy's from piercing his shoulder. Suri cried out as her sword caught the skin of the man before her, spilling blood down his arm from the deep wound on his shoulder. His stance wavered, giving Suri the opening she needing to drive her blade hard into his rib cage. She cringed, gasping for breath as he stumbled away. She didn't think it'd kill him, and found herself hoping it wouldn't. Relieved when her father relaxed slightly against her back, she turned to find him also left alone for the moment.

"You banished him?" she demanded instantly, deciding not to waste the small time they had. She glared at him as his gaze flashed to her in mild surprise, quickly moving to irritation.

"It had to be done. Don't avoid the subject, young lady, you're to return to the camp this instant-"

"You're telling me not to avoid the subject? Why did you banish him, what wrong did he do you?" she accused, anger building. She groaned in frustration, shoving the sword into his hand to pull her bow from her waist as her free hand moved to retrieve and pull back an arrow. She took a deep breath, shooting it past Wolf's ear to bring down a man drawing his sword to attack him. She tensed, catching sight of the familiar brown hair. She sucked in a sharp breath, ignoring her father's voice of protest as she scrambled away from him, shoving through the thick of the struggling bodies. She shrieked, staggering to a halt when a hand caught and pulled hard on her hair.

"Where do you think you're going?" the woman spat in her ear, shoving Suri off before she could bring her dagger to the woman's hand entangled in her hair. Suri spun, pulling an arrow back to her ear as her eyes rested on the staff clasped tight in the woman's left hand. She clenched her jaw, watching the electricity crackle through the fingers of her free hand. Suri faced off with the obviously highly trained Storm Class wizard. She waited, knowing that the woman would have to take a deep breath in before she could strike. Leaping aside as the woman took a harsh breath, she managed to dodge the power that shook the ground beneath her feet. She knew it could have easily knocked her from her feet. She was just glad the ground beneath them had no grass for the woman to electrify the water inside. Careful to avoid any mud, grass, or source of water, she shot her arrow. She hissed in annoyance when she missed, pegging the ground behind the woman's left leg. Biting her lip, she struggled to find a better opening that would not fatally injure her enemy. Painfully aware of her remaining eight arrows, she forced it down to seven as she drew another back to her cheek. She screamed, losing her hold as she became aware too late of the slightly damp dirt beneath her right leg. The arrow flew from her bow, missing harshly as she stumbled blindly to the ground as the blood in her leg felt like it were boiling beneath her skin. She struggled to blink away the stars, reaching for her sword as the wizard walked swiftly towards her.

"Suri!" someone shouted. She gasped as someone stood over her, facing the Storm Class woman before her. He glanced over his shoulder, holding his own staff out protectively. "Are you all right? Do you need a healer?" he demanded quickly, igniting the air around his hands as he faced off Fire to Storm. Suri shook her head, forcing herself to her feet. She cringed, placing weight on her injured leg. She waited for her blood to rush back through her body as the Storm woman's attention snapped to the wizard before her. "Keep going." he shouted when she reached for her sword. "Kaito's to the east, towards the tents. I think he needs help." Suri nodded her thanks, scrabbling towards the rising moon. She ran, dodging around the warriors and wizards fighting and shouting to one another. She watched a healer drag her clanmate to the side, quickly healing what she could before shooing him off for better attention. She shook her head of the stabbing pain as the limp body of an Energy wizard held between two Life Class wizards towards the exit to be transported back to their camp. She blinked away tears as she caught the face of the wizard. A man she had trained with as an apprentice, Anik, was now dead. Rage flooded though her as she could only see the reason for his and many other's deaths at the hands of her brother. Haru had done this. Haru had caused the deaths of so many.

She forced herself to turn away, sprinting towards the dark skin of the tents before her that symbolized the normal lives that may very well have been destroyed that very moment. She looked around, scanning the people around her, struggling to catch sight of Kaito's blonde hair. She gasped, sprinting off towards the familiar staff head briefly visible through the crowd. She stopped dead, tensing when she saw him. Kaito held his staff out before himself, a grey haze of his magic filming over his hands. He squared his shoulders, his right hand reaching for the sword strapped to his side. Before him stood none other than Haru, smirking and twirling a throwing knife between his fingers. Suri covered her mouth to keep in the scream as the knife left Haru's outstretched hand, impaling Kaito's reaching hand. Kaito cried out, the air around him popping loudly with his magic, barely under control. Suri knew if Haru were only a few inches closer, Kaito could slow his movements. Haru clearly knew this as well, as he dodged just barely out of range. Kaito pulled the blade from his now useless hand, gritting his teeth as he advanced forward still, struggling to use his left hand to draw the sword. He fought, struggling to control his magic enough to use it to his advantage in his wounded state. Suri caught a harsh limp in his left leg, indicating previous fights and a deep cut in the groove of his left shoulder, weakening the hand that held his sword further. She caught Haru's gaze. In that split second, his smirk spread wide into a confident, triumphant grin. In a flash, his sword was drawn and he was running at Kaito, who managed to weakly deflect the strike intended to stab him through the heart. Suri managed to tear her feet from the ground. She poised her sword, darting towards her brother. She screamed as Haru's recovery was faster than Kaito's fumbling one.

She watched as Haru's razor sharp blade was forced up, piercing Kaito's clothing and skin. The blade pierced deep, driving up and under his ribs. Kaito staggered back, doubling over in pain. A spot of dark red blood formed on his shirt, quickly flowing from the wound. Suri stared, tears threatening her eyes as she stumbled forward, catching him as he fell, keeping his head from striking the ground. She looked up, watching Haru smirk proudly for a moment at her before disappearing into the battle behind him. She looked down at Kaito, struggling to pull his cloak from his shoulders to help stop the bleeding. "Suri...?" Kaito mumbled, his voice weak.

"Don't talk." Suri ordered, struggling to keep her voice level. She angrily wiped her cheek of tears as she forced herself to focus.

"You have to go after him." he argued, weakly pushing her hands off of him.

"No, we have to get you help, you'll die... I can't let you die, we have to get you to a healer." She managed, shaking her head. "It's my fault, I just... _stood there._ I should have moved, I could have kept him from hitting you like that." Kaito shook his head, repeatedly pushing her away each time she reached to press against the wound.

"You have to go. You have to. Don't worry about me. Find Haru. End this. Suri, you have to leave me." he practically pleaded, his fingers smearing the blood on her hands.

"I can't leave you here, Kaito, please, I have to get you help." she struggled to tie the cloth around his torso, but he pulled her hands away each time. With surprising strength, he pushed her off.

"If you won't leave me, then I won't force you." he growled, his hand balling into a tight fist. Suri caught sight of the ring pinched between his fingers. She cried out in protest, lunging forward to stop him. Her hands landed on the rough dirt, now stained with Kaito's blood. Kaito nowhere in sight. Her shoulders shook with a confusing mixture of fear, pain and rage. She stared at her hands for a long moment, the scarlet blood staring to dry on her fingers. She staggered to her feet, forcing away the sickening rock in her throat. She turned, shaking away the haze in her vision, and advanced in the direction Haru had fled.

She reacted to the enraged scream of a warrior as he ran at her with a blade extended. She dodged, skipping backwards as she deflected his swing with her own. She cried out, the piercing pain of the blade cutting into her shoulder catching her by surprise. She staggered back, clutching to the bleeding wound. She screamed, anger boiling over as she lunged forward, striking his sword away with the loud clang of metal on metal. She heard him groan loud as her other hand drove her dagger deep into his skin. She cringed, feeling the man's hot blood stick to her fingers. She stumbled away from him as he doubled over, entirely unaware of the tears endlessly streaming from her eyes. She ran away from him, terrified to watch to know if he died. She paused, panting, once she had cleared most of the fight. She stood on the farthest side of the camp from the exit, staring down at her hands that were stained with the blood of the man she may have killed. She sobbed, balling her hands into fists. She froze, catching movement off to her right. She turned, padding slowly towards it. She turned, finding herself entirely blocked from view of the clans fighting viciously. She spun, refusing to leave her back open, pressing her back against the wall of the camp. She glared around her, her bleeding arm dripping slowly down her forearm. "Come out, you coward!" she spat, clenching her jaw. She drew a deep breath as the form of her brother slowly stepped out from the dark shadows of a thick oak tree.

"A coward, am I?" he laughed briefly. He looked ragged, scratched, bruised and bleeding from the battle. "You're sobbing like a child. Are you mad at me, little sister? I quite enjoyed dispatching that little tick. But I did notice his refusal to use his special little ability. Why is that? He's a coward just as you are. Now, stop crying. A half blind fight is no fight at all. Or will you just stand there? Like you did earlier? Stand there and stare, even let me sharpen my sword, just for you? I'd make it quick for you. Instead of making you suffer like your little friend. Or will you fight like a warrior? Get up, you idiot. Stand and face me!" he spat, using his sword to flick hers into the air. Suri glared at him, shoving herself off the wall, lunging at him. She groaned in frustration, spinning around as he blocked her strike and shoved her off. "What the Hell was that?" he challenged, glaring at her angrily. "I said fight me, Suri! You're weak!" he accused darkly. She paused, taking a deep breath. She forced her mind to clear of her fear. She shook away the thoughts of the man she'd stabbed. She ignored her worry of Kaito. She placed her feet slowly, dancing agilely away from Haru's sword. She pulled her dagger free, stained now with dark blood, and poised it in her grip. She jumped at him, clashing her sword against his. She struggled, her shoulder muscles burning with the effort of keeping his blade from slitting her throat. With a loud yell, she forced him away, bringing her left hand forward. She heard him cry out in alarm as she nicked his right arm before he could move aside. He stared at her with wide eyes, seeming startled by her sudden anger. He grinned, chuckling as he dodged away from her. "That's better!" he laughed loudly, deflecting her swing.

"Shut up!" she hissed, gasping as he advanced on her. She cried out, feeling his blade dig hard into the open wound on her shoulder. She pulled away, screwing her eyes shut for a moment. She screamed, throwing herself at him. She felt her sword pierce his arm as he attempted to move from the strike. His enraged shout filled her ears before she was aware of only pain. She screamed, falling to the ground below him as his foot collided hard with her torso. She felt something in her shift as the blinding pain of ribs cracking and breaking filled her ears. She shivered in blind pain, clutching her hand to her side as she raised her sword to block his fatal blow. She rolled away, crying out from the pain. She stumbled to her feet, screaming as his hand entangled in her hair. He pulled hard, forcing her head back to look at him. He shoved her back up against the wall of the camp, his knee crushing her fingers that held the sword in her grip. She screamed, sobbing as the word slipped from her limp, useless, fingers. He threw his own sword, prying the fingers of her left hand open. He snatched the blood stained dagger from her grip, pressing it to her throat, his breath hot on her cheek as he spoke.

"Are you afraid to die, Suri?" he mumbled in her ear, pressing the dagger harder against her neck, threatening to drag it sideways if she moved. He chucked in response to her unintentional whimper of fear. "Tell Mother hello." he laughed, taking a deep breath as he pulled his head away to look into her wide, glossed over eyes. He mumbled a soothing noise as tears spilled from her eyes. She felt his thumb brush the tear away. His smile faded away to a dark scowl, his jaw tightened, his grip clenched around the hilt of her dagger. Suri closed her eyes.

Haru's body jolted, his eyes flew wide. He stared at her, his mouth agape as he struggled to say something. Suri held her breath, feeling the knife at her neck just barely slit her skin. She forced herself to keep from cringing, watching as he seemed to struggle to understand what happened. He took a small step back, his chest heaving. Suri pulled hard, removing the small sharp dagger from her brother's back. A loud, ear-shattering scream erupted from within him, forcing Suri to screw her eyes shut and cringe. Slowly, she placed her leg back on the dusty floor, opening her eyes to look into his eyes. "I always keep a dagger in my boot." she heard her voice whisper from far away as blood dripped slowly from the tip of the blade. She watched as he slowly slipped to his knees. "That was for abandoning us." she growled, taking a step forward. She slowly drew her bow from her shoulder, an arrow soon placed in the string. She stared blankly at him as she slowly drew it back to her cheek. She raised her aim to his chest, meeting his eyes. She took a deep breath, aware of nothing but the man on his knees before her. All sounds of waging war left from her mind. She felt a shiver travel up her spine, feeling her blood run cold beneath her skin as the world slowed. She couldn't hear. She couldn't think. She would only see Haru. She exhaled slowly, feeling the world move again. "This is for Kaito." she closed her eyes.

The arrow flew home.


	20. Chapter 19: The Aftermath

Chapter 19: The Aftermath

Suri slowly emerged from the small alcove behind the tents of Mahna Clan, stumbling slightly as she dragged the dead body of her older brother behind her by the boot. She dropped him, her breath catching in her throat at what she found before her. All eyes trained to her. She stared back, frozen in place, unable to move. Someone broke the silence with a loud, exhilarated cheer. People jolted, one by one waking up from their stupor. The noise spread around the two clans like wildfire, people shouting in excitement, screaming in victorious triumph. Weapons clattered and clanged to the floor as Mahna members stared at the limp body of their leader. Before she could stop it, a grin spread wide across Suri's face. She stared around her, watching relief force the shoulders to drop, the fists to pump in the air. "Suri!" someone shouted breathlessly, shoving her way through two confused looking Mahna members. She stumbled forward, her chest heaving as she approached. Suri knew immediately that something was wrong. The young woman looked up at Suri, her eyes wide, struggling to blink back her tears. "It's Kaito." she said in a shaking voice. Suri's feet were moving before her head knew what was happening. She shoved blindly through the massive crowd. Shoving through the bodies of people her clanmates had been prepared to kill only moments before. She stumbled into the entrance of the camp, nearly falling into the mud just outside. Regaining her footing, she sprinted into the trees around the clearing, heading toward the makeshift healers tent.

The healers had struggles to quickly pull together a shelter from the steadily rising wind. The twigs and branches creaked and crackled under the strain to keep upright as a strong gust whipped against the side. Mud, dirt, leaves, and foliage clustered against the thin walls, halfway caked into the mud that held together the branches. She approached the thin, barely visible crack in the side closest to her that served as a makeshift door. Sure had no idea how they managed to help or cary any injured people through the small crevice, as she had to turn sideways and slowly inch between the heavy, thick branches of the shelter. Hesitantly, she turned slowly to face the main service area of the tent. Scanning over the bodies and injuries, she grimaced at the sight of the blood soaked bed sheets. The smell of metal made Suri feel a strong urge to retch. She forced herself to focus past the scent of death, and the almost tangible feeling of agony in the air. She spotted the familiar form a few people down the row of injured, and set out towards him with a heavy feeling of trepidation. She gasped, spinning on her heel when someone gripped harshly at her wrist and pulled her backwards, causing her to stumble slightly into the man that held her back. She struggled for a moment before she recognized the familiar mass that was now wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"Suri, don't." Wolf warned, gripping her shoulders tight, his breath tickling her ear as he spoke. Suri, caught off guard by her own spark of anger, shoved her father off harshly.

"You're really going to try to keep me away? Now? When he's like this? That's low, Dad. And cruel." she hissed, turning away from her stunned father and focusing her attention back to the boy a few paces away. She stepped forward, mildly surprised that Wolf made no further attempt to stop her. Instead, he stiffly stepped up with her. Sure took a deep breath and found the courage to look down at the man before her. Kaito lay unconscious on a stained white sheet. He was pale, his breathing shallow and slow. His skin deathly close to the shade of white of the sheets he lay upon. The thin blanket that had been covering had been haphazardly thrown aside, revealing a harsh tear in the thick layers of cloth and makeshift armor. Blood soaked the surrounding cloth, and the hasty work to stop the bleeding clutched to the torn clothing. Skilled hands had quickly cut away what amount of his shirt they could, afraid that the bloodied clothing around the wound would tear his skin and make it worse. A thin layer of darkened cloth surrounded the wound, his pale skin now tinged bright red from the blood that had been quickly cleaned away. Even unconscious, he twitched and wore an expression of pure pain. Sure didn't want to think of his deep the sword dug into him. She stared, not knowing what to do, or how to react. She stared, watching his uneven breathing, and finding herself tensing each time he drew a sharp breath, or fidgeted harshly. A taunting voice in her head wondered if each time he drew a pained sharp breath would be his last. She forced the thought down, swallowing hard as she stared at an older man who approached them. The healer dipped his head respectfully before turning his attention to the wounded man.

"I'm sorry," the man said in a mournful tone, "but he doesn't have much time. We did what we could, but even with magic, there is only so much we can do. We stopped the bleeding. But he's simply lost too much, and the damage already done brought him too far over the edge to be pulled all the way back. His lung flooded with blood from a puncture. That is ultimately what rendered him to this. The blade narrowly missed his heart, he's lucky to have even made it this far. The blade drove up under his ribcage. An angle like that, well, there's little chance of anyone to survive. His liver was severely damaged, and his kidney entirely failed. He's still fighting, miraculously due to what little healing we could give him. But I'm afraid that he just can't win this one. He nearly suffocated himself from the blood filling his lungs. He managed to cough it out before he fell too far unconscious. But now...well, he's just bled out too much. We can't heal what the sword tore through anymore. I'm sorry. But you should say your goodbyes."By now, Suri was only half listening to the man speaking. Her eyes were trying to memorize him. Even in this horrid, mortally injured state, he still looked like him.

"Can he...hear me...?" Suri asked, her own voice sounding broken and far away. The man looked at her. He looked tired. Years older from one conversation.

"It's possible." he replied, dipping his head slightly to the left in an unsure motion. "Sometimes they can hear. But some people come back to remember nothing." Suri felt her nails biting into the skin of her palms, but she couldn't bring herself to care. The man dipped his head again, this time leaving them alone. Silence surrounded them. Only the sound of Kaito's harsh, uneven breathing. She felt her father's hand rest softly on her shoulder.

"Suri-"

"No." she hissed, shrugging away from him. She shook her head harshly, turning on him. "You have to let me take him to the village." she nearly begged, angrily clearing the water from her cheeks. He blinked, staring at her for a long moment, as if he didn't understand.

"What?" he stammered, unable to stop staring. "Suri, we can't do that. I know it's a terrible thing. I've tried before. Suri, they will not aid. He would never make it. Don't do this to yourself," he said, wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders. Her body shaking violently, she struggled to pull away from him.

"No, you can't tell me not to. Not this time, I'm not asking permission to save a life. You can't stop me this time." she spat, her eyes burning into him, daring him to argue.

"Suri, you can't carry him, there's no way you can get him there. Suri, you're allowing your hopes up. Suri, look at him." her eyes slowly fell onto the deathly pale body. Kaito tensed, pain written across his face. Slowly, he relaxed, the stab of pain his unconscious body felt slowly fading to a tolerable level. "He won't survive the transport. Don't make it worse for yourself. I'm sorry." he stepped closer, watching her shivering shoulders, trying to decide whether reaching for her would push her farther. She froze, tensing. Slowly, she turned to Kaito. She slipped her hand into his, fresh tears slipping free at his icy skin.

"I have to." she said slowly, her eyes finding the small golden band on his left index finger. "I'm sorry." she said, more to Kaito than anyone else. She slowly slipped the ring free. She stared at it, a small line of deep scarlet stained the polished gold, dripping across the words of another language. "Think of where you want to be...and squeeze the ring..." she mumbled, slowly wrapping her fingers around the cold ring. Taking a deep breath, she carefully pictured the outside of the camp. Remembering every detail that she could. The feel of the grass and broken twigs beneath her shoes. The sound of the wind rustling the leaves and branches. She gasped, feeling a horrible lurching motion. She felt herself falling, though she couldn't see anything. Her father and Kaito were gone, replaced by a terrifyingly pitch back world. She couldn't help from cry out, struggling to find the ground beneath her feet. She shrieked, feeling as if her body were slammed to the ground. Her eyes fluttered open to find herself laying on the ground just outside the camp. She gasped, scrabbling to her knees, still halfway disbelieving. She opened her hand, staring wide eyed at the blood spattered ring. Somehow pushing aside her shock, she struggled to her feet. For a horrible moment, she staggered, as if her legs weren't used to stable ground. Regaining her balance, she quickly ran into the camp.

Sprinting through the doors, she dodged through the small crowd of remaining clan members, skidding to a halt in the healers tent. She scanned the room, her eyes searching for the thin bedding material. She found it, rolled up in a far corner, barely used. It was only ever used when an injured person needed to be moved. Shoving the thick bedding off of one of the examination tables, she threw the thin cot over the cold metal and pulled harshly, feeling the wheels of the table pry out from the indents in the dirt from never moving from their place. She pulled it along behind her for a few paces, her mind reeling for a way to get back to him quickly. She paused, looking down at the ring on her finger. She bit her lip, wondering just how much she could transport with her.

Deciding it wouldn't really do any harm to try, she slipped the ring off of her thumb. The ring had been too big to fit on any other finger. Slipping it free, she curled her fingers over the ring and closed her eyes. She forced herself to picture herself beside Kaito's pale, dying body. Every detail, she forced herself to picture. She pictured herself standing beside him, this time with the mobile cart beside her. She gripped the cart hard, crying out as once again, she felt a sickening feeling of plummeting down a harsh cliff. She opened her eyes again, only to feel like she hadn't even opened them. She stared, wide eyed, determined to watch the change this time. She screamed as the ground plummeted towards her, the bright grass approaching at a terrifying speed. She screwed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact that would surely break multiple bones. She gasped, her eyes flying open when she felt the soft grass beneath her fingers. She stared, utterly confused for a long moment, and unable to force her body to relax. She felt sick, as if she couldn't quite catch her breath, but she forced herself to climb to her unsteady feet. She stumbled, taking a long moment to look around at her surroundings. She found herself inside the healers tent, at the exact place she pictured. She stared down at Kaito, uncomprehending for a moment. She wondered briefly how Kaito managed to land on his feet.

"Suri...?" she heard her father's alarmed voice, but she couldn't place where it came from. Disoriented, she looked blankly around, her gaze falling to her father as he stared at her, suddenly looking years older with the shocked panic written across his face. "How did you...?" he stammered, looking her up and down as if her didn't really believe she was there. Suri shook her head, dragging the examination table forward, only allowing herself a brief moment of pride over the fact that it was even there at all.

"I'll explain...eventually. Just help me." she hissed, pulling the cart as close to Kaito's makeshift bed as possible.

"Suri, I really don't-"

"Just let me do this." she spat, her sudden anger catching him off guard. He sighed heavily, defeated. Stepping forward, he dipped his head to tell her to step back. Carefully, he slid his hands under Kaito's shoulders, his other carefully bending the other man's knees to support him as best he could. He froze when Kaito gave a strained, almost choking noise. Steeling himself when the injured man relaxed slightly, Wolf forced himself to move quickly. With a grunt, he lifted the injured body and swung him quickly onto the table Suri gripped harshly to hold in place. Kaito tensed, his face contorting in pain. Wolf ignored the blood staining his hands, gently straightening Kaito's body, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. He pulled away, barely able to move aside in time before Suri immediately began pushing the cart carrying the injured, dying body of one of his Energy Class clan members out of sight and into the trees beyond.


	21. Chapter 20: Saving a Life

Chapter 20: Saving a Life

Suri stumbled to a halt, panting as she carefully adjusting Kaito's position. Running was a precarious action, as Kaito nearly fell off at least twice. She knew she had to have been putting him in a lot of pain, but she decided pain was better than death. She stumbled, quickly losing energy, toward the village that was now looming high above them. She shoved the now stubborn wheel over a thick root, relieved to finally have him on a relatively even dirt road. She was growing more terrified with each passing second that Kaito was losing too much blood. His hand that Haru had pegged a throwing knife through had been wrapped, but the clean white padding was now drenched in his blood. She didn't even want to look at the gaping wound in his torso, for she knew that it was in far worse condition. She shook her head, determinedly pushing the examination table on, now on the main street of the village. Suri paused, startled into immobility as a tall woman rounded a corner, glancing up when she noticed Suri standing there. She stared for a long moment, her mouth dropping open. Not knowing what to do, Suri waited for the woman to react, cringing when the woman took a step back. "Please," Suri begged, her heart slamming against her chest. "Please, I don't mean to scare you, I need help. Please, he's-" the woman's scream cut her off. The woman stumbled back, scrabbling back the way she'd come just as a tall, bulky man skidded to a halt in time to catch her arm.

"What's wrong, Karen, are you-" he stopped, staring wide eyed at the injured woman shaking mere feet away. He dropped the woman's arm, his eyes scanning her and what looked like a dead body. "Who are you? You're one of those uncivilized forest kids, aren't you?" he demanded, allowing the woman to resume her escape.

"Please," Suri begged again, ignoring the rude allegations. "Please, my friend needs help, he's dying." she ignored the tears as the spilled free at finally admitting out loud his condition. "Please, I know you don't trust me. Throw me in prison, I don't care, just please help him. Your medical skills exceed ours, you're the only way to keep him alive. Please." she could barely understand herself. The man stared at her, taken aback for a long moment before he seemed to come to his senses.

"You're that girl that saved that child, aren't you?" he questioned, taking a slow, hesitant step forward. Confused, it took Suri a long moment to remember the young child she had dragged away from the skirmish. She nodded, swallowing hard. "What's your name?"

"Suri," she stammered, "And Kaito." she added, nodding to the man on the bed. "Please. Please, just help him." she continued, her voice broken and defeated as he stepped forward to look over the status of the pale bloodied body.

"Geez, what on earth happened? Come with me. I'll do what I can, but others may not agree to help him." he said, turning and leading her further into the village. Stunned for a moment, Suri scrabbled to push the cart forward, catching up. Tense, she swiped her arm across her eyes to wipe away the tears, but each time she wiped them away they were immediately replaced. With the dawn approaching, she wasn't entirely surprised to the many eyes that stared at her as she followed wordlessly behind what seemed like the one man willing to help. This was his only chance. They had to help.

After about ten minutes, the man turned to her, sweeping his arms in the direction of a large stone ramp. She stared up at the tall building, her heart rate picking up again as she wondered if he was really leading her to a prison. She glanced nervously to the man. "What is this place?" she asked, her voice small and weak.

"The infirmary. Where our sick and injured are assisted. Go on then." he said in a soothing tone. Suri nodded, carefully pushing the art that was quickly growing heavier to her tiring arms up the bumpy ramp. The man held a heavy door open, allowing her to push Kaito into the building. She stared around at the entryway. The floor had been smoothed out, chairs littered everywhere. Behind a large wooden desk sat a stocky blonde woman surrounded in heavy piled of paper. Her expression of shock and alarm was quickly wiped away and replaced by a smile.

"Mr. Aletory, it's wonderful to see you." she greeted in a cheery, high pitched voice. She glanced at Suri, before her eyes fell to Kaito. She visibly paled, immediately standing and running around her desk to lean over him. She placed her fingers against his neck, taking a moment to count under her breath. "He's very far..." she stammered, glancing down at the still bleeding wound. "Name, age and date of birth?" she questioned, glancing up to Suri.

"Kaito, he's twenty. And...I-I don't know." she stammered, stepping away as the woman moved quickly to scrabble down something on a paper.

"Wait here, please." she turned and quickly ran down a hall and out of site. Suri stared for a long moment, stunned and confused. She turned her gaze to the man beside her.

"She's getting a doctor, don't worry." he replied, smiling reassuringly. Suri swallowed hard and gave a small nod. A few seconds later, the woman came back into view, three tall men following quickly behind. Immediately, they darted forward and ordering one another around as one of them began to pull the bed carrying Kaito away. Suri stepped forward to follow, but the woman stepped in front of her.

"I'm sorry, you can't go with him. Let them do their work. They'll keep you updated on any changes." the woman said sternly but not unkindly. Staring after him, Suri gave a small nod, her fingers immediately moving to twist his ring around her finger.

"Nurse, I'll pay for whatever he needs." Mr. Aletory spoke, earning a shocked stare from the woman. He waved off the protest she attempted to give. "And I would like a doctor to check on her as well." he continued, glancing at Suri. At this, she turned to him.

"I don't need help," Suri argued. "My healers will attend to me later. You've already done more than enough for me. You don't know me. I'm already in debt to you, don't-"

"I never said I expected or even wanted anything in return." he said, sternly cutting her off. He turned a hard glare to the nurse, who nodded curtly and began to lead Suri by the arm down a hall across the room, opposite of where they had taken Kaito. The woman led her to a tall, heavy door and tapped softly on it. A male voice beckoned them in from the other side. The woman smiled reassuringly at Suri before pushing the door open and leading Suri inside.

"Dr. Alec, this is a patient from the forest. Mr. Aletory has kindly insisted she receive whatever help she needs. Do you have time to examine her, or do you have other patients expected?" the man looked up, surprised, as the nurse introduced Suri. He nodded, smiling easily as his eyes fell to Suri.

"I can. Thank you, Jane, you can return to your desk." the doctor was surprisingly young, with thick black hair just barely long enough to touch his ears. He stood as the door thudded closed, clearing his throat. "You're not going to attack me, are you?" he laughed, his bright blue eyes confirmed his playful tone. "I don't believe all that drivel about your people. Don't worry, I won't stereotype you unless you give me cause. I'm Dr. Alexander Moric. But I prefer Dr. Alec. You are...?" he pressed, securing his hands behind his back.

"I'm Suri." she said quickly, nervous for a reason she couldn't place. He smiled, nodding.

"How old are you, Suri? Don't worry, I'm just here to make sure you're healthy. And to help your injuries." he added, gesturing for her to take a seat on a long padded table.

"I'm eighteen. I really don't think you need to do this, I can get help at home. Suri protested, obediently climbing onto the table that came just above her waist. Sitting on the uncomfortable surface, she looked up at the tall man, interlocking her fingers on her lap.

"Yes, but I was told to do what I could for you now. Besides, you are not at home. It'd be a great inconvenience to go all the way home when I could help you now." He lectured, picking up a long flat piece of wood. Suri stared at him, utterly confused when he held it up. "Stick out your tongue for me." He smiled. Suri stared, but complied, opening her mouth a little. She nearly pulled away when he pressed the rough wood on her tongue, causing her jaw to open more. He leaned in close, his eyes scanning her throat. "Good. You can close your moth now." He said as he pulled away, dropping the stick in a small bin beside the table. He continued asking her to do small, simple tasks. Suri hadn't any idea what he was looking for. Their healing was much faster, it didn't need any of these silly movements. "Your leg is very tense, did you pull a muscle?" his question pulled her out of her own mind.

"No. It was injured by lightning." She said carefully, not knowing he understood about her home. He stared at her, looking disbelieving for a long moment.

"There haven't been any storms recently, and certainly none with lightning. Your trees would certainly have burned down." He reasoned, now staring at her as if he were concerned for her mental health.

"You wouldn't understand. Your people refused our ways and claimed we were defiling nature. Magic isn't a bad art. We don't defile it, we learn from it. I'm not surprised your village denies its existence," Suri growled, looking away. She found herself staring down at the ring on her finger, wondering what they were doing to Kaito. She suddenly feared they wouldn't be able to do anything for him. If this was what they did for her, they couldn't possibly be doing anything to help him.

"All right, Suri. Apart from a few scratches, and that leg, you're just fine. I'll fix up that gash on your shoulder. Wait here a moment." He smiled as he stood and left her alone. He returned a few minutes later carrying a small tray of supplies. He took a seat beside her, dabbing a small cloth in what looked like water. "This may sting a little," he apologized, carefully dabbing the wet cloth onto the harsh sword cut into her shoulder. Pain laced into her arm, causing her to cry out and jerk away. She stared at him, wide eyed, glancing at the wound on her shoulder. He looked alarmed, placing the cloth back down. "It's just alcohol, it stings a little, but it's to help you. I don't want your arm getting infected. It'll hurt for a second, but it'll fade. I'm sorry, I didn't know you weren't ready." He apologized, reaching for her arm calmingly. Hesitantly, Suri allowed herself to inch closer. She figured it must be like the mixture the healers use when they can't heal a wound completely. But theirs never stung like that. She tensed as she allowed him to take her arm again. Raising the cloth, he looked at her expectantly.

"I'm ready," Suri mumbled, cringing this time as the cloth dabbed softly into the wound. She screwed her eyes shut, refusing to cry out. Cuts and wounds were a sharp pain that dulled if she could push it to the back of her mind like she was used to doing. This was different. This, she could feel dig into the wound. It felt like it were siring her blood in her arm. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he finally put the slightly bloodied cloth down. His hand moved to pick up a small vial of another clear liquid. Suri stared at it skeptically.

"This won't hurt. It's just to numb the wound, it might actually feel good." He explained, pouring the contents of the vial onto a new cloth before picking it up. "It'll make your arm feel strange, but don't worry. It'll fade over time." He added, carefully pressing the icy cold cloth to her shoulder. Suri allowed her arm to relax, only to find that she couldn't tell if she was relaxed or not. Confused, she looked at the cloth on her arm, watching as he pulled it away. He began tapping softly on her arm. Suri's eyes grew wide as she watched his fingers tap repeatedly on her arm, but she couldn't feel anything. "Can you feel this?" he asked, looking up from his work.

"No," Suri answered, testing moving her arm. She found she could move it, but she couldn't feel it move. He nodded approvingly, placing that cloth with the other used one. Carefully he picked up a thin needle, a thick, strong wire like string trailing off of the end. "What are you doing?" she asked, moving away as he brought the needle close to her wound.

"I'm sewing the wound closed. It's called stitching. You need a couple, this wound won't close well on its own. It won't hurt. That's what the cold stuff did. Don't worry, you'll see." He soothed, carefully inserting the thin needle through her skin. She watched, disgusted as he slowly pulled the needle along, sewing across the gash to the other side. Folding it back over, he repeated the motion until he had reached the opposite side of the wound that he had started from. Slowly, his free hand pinched her skin, slowly allowing him to tighten the string in her arm. She watched, wrinkling her nose as he slowly pulled her skin together until all she could see was a thin line of blood and the thread crisscrossing repeatedly over it. Carefully, he tied the string, making sure it would hold her skin together until is healed properly. Picking up a third rag, he dabbed it in a small bowl of yet another clear liquid and held it up to her arm.

"What's that?" Suri questioned, still half staring at the odd work he'd done.

"This is just water. I'm just clearing away the blood." He smiled, carefully working around the reddened, irritated skin to clean the smeared blood. When her skin was clear, he put the wet cloth on his small pile of soiled cloth. "All right. The rest are just small cuts. Your arm will take about a week or so to heal. Don't stress the stitches, and try not to lift too heavy. You're free to go back out into the lobby, Mr. Aletory will probably be waiting for you." Dr. Alec stood, extending a hand to help her up. Jumping back to the floor, she dipped her head low and walked slowly from the room. Staring at her arm, she walked slowly down the hall and back into the main entryway. Walking slowly up to the man who'd led her there, she dipped her head softly as he looked up from his seat.

"Thank you. I never actually said it, but thank you for helping me," she said in a quiet voice, carefully taking a seat beside him.

"I was told that your friend is a strong fighter." He smiled in way of responding to her gratitude. "His doctor explained that he lost a great deal of blood, and was close to dying from blood loss alone. But he does need surgery. He's in it now. He is alive, no matter how miraculous. If the surgery goes well, he is expected to live." He placed a calming hand on her shoulder as her body slumped back against her chair. "You don't have to thank me for this, I'm glad I had a hand in saving a life. Besides, I have far greater deeds to repay to your people. Far surpassing the worth of this simple assistance. Anyway, ill you be all right if I leave you here for a little while? I have some errands to run. I'll be back before too long." He stood as he spoke, turning to smile at her before walking briskly to the doors and out or sight. Left alone, Suri pulled her knees to her chest, and tried to avoid looking at anyone who walked past giving her an odd look. She knew she had to look horrible to them: weapons and foliage all over her, she was dangerous to them. She looked up, startled, when she felt a slight tug on her shirt. She looked up to find a young girl staring up at her. Her raven hair a mess, as if she had just woken up, but her brown eyes were bright and awake as she smiled broadly at the strange forest girl.

"You look funny," the girl greeted, staring at Suri's sword strapped tightly to her waist. "Why are you here? Forest people are supposed to stay in the trees." The girl looked genuinely confused, as if she were taught that it were physically impossible for her to leave the forest.

"I'm here for a friend. Don't worry, I'll leave as soon as he's all right." Suri answered dully, looking around for the parent the child wandered off from. "You should go back to your parents. You'll get in trouble for talking to me." The girl looked dejected, pouting as she folded her arms, but didn't move away.

"No!" she squeaked loudly, her attention catching quickly to the stitches in the strange woman's arm. "What happened to your arm?" before Suri could answer, a loud, panicked shriek came from across the room.

"Alecia, get away right now!" Suri watched, not at all surprised as a tall woman ran over and grabbed the young girl tightly by the arm and dragged her away, as if expecting Suri to draw her sword at any moment.

"Excuse me," a voice caught her attention before she could process what had happened. Looking up, she scrambled to her feet, looking expectantly at one of the doctors that had taken Kaito away. He smiled apologetically, watching the overprotective mother fawn over her child. "The townspeople are taught to fear you. I'm sorry, most of them can't separate rumor from truth. Ignore them, they just don't know anything different. Kaito's surgery is going well, but it'll take anywhere between three to five hours. Judging by the time you got here, and the amount of injuries he had, I'd assume you haven't slept. Come with me please." He ordered, turning abruptly and walking away before Suri had any time to protest. Following behind him, she watched as he carefully opened another heavy wooden door. Stepping aside, he gestured her inside. Inside was a long white mattress on a cold metal table, with a thin white blanket and flat pillow the only things provided. "You can get some rest in here. Someone will come wake you if anything goes wrong, or if there are any changes you need to know of." The man spoke kindly as he began to softly close the door, leaving her alone in the cold, blank room. Regardless of how much she wanted to deny it, weariness was quickly becoming a predominant demand on her body. Climbing onto the uncomfortable mattress, she pulled the thin blanket over herself and let exhaustion take over.


	22. Chapter 21: Recognition

Chapter 21: Recognition

"Ma'am? Ma'am, you've slept for a while now; your friend's out of surgery now. Are you feeling all right?" Suri jolted awake, gasping for air as she shot into a sitting position. "Are you all right?" the voice again spoke from beside her. Suri stared blankly at the woman, confused for a long moment before the previous days events came rushing back to her.

"Kaito!" Suri gasped, scrambling to stand. The woman placed a hand on her shoulder, steadying her.

"Be careful, Ma'am, you don't want to stretch your stitches. Your friend's resting for now. I'll take you to speak with his doctor if you'd like." the woman offered, smiling calmly. Suri nodded, struggling to blink sleep from her eyes as she followed, disoriented, behind the nurse. She quickly lost her way as the nurse led her around corner after corner, and down dozens of long, white, blank hallways. Finally, when Suri began to wonder if the expanse of hallways ever ended, the nurse turned to a door on the left of the hall. Tapping slightly on the thick wood, she opened it without waiting for a response. Suri barely managed to keep herself from shoving past the woman into the room. Trailing behind the nurse, she was disappointed to find that Kaito was not in the room. Instead, she found herself staring at the man who'd led her to her makeshift bedroom. He smiled as she entered, raising from the chair behind his desk.

"He's not here. He's resting right now, he's very exhausted. He was very close to death, as you know, and has very little strength. He'll be asleep for a while. Please, sit," he offered, waving to an identical chair across form his own. Hesitantly, Suri allowed herself to slip into a sitting position, though her posture remained tight and rigid. "I understand your medical techniques are far different than ours. Your people can almost immediately get up and return to normal activity. But even this injury in your home would take a great deal of time to recover from. He will take at least three weeks, maybe five. He will be in a good amount of pain, but he will live. By now, he's been asleep for about six hours. A nurse should be waking him now to eat. I can let you see him so long as you do not cause him to move and cause himself pain." At that, Suri nearly passed out from relief. Slowly, she gave a small nod, trying to ignore the images running through her mind of what he could possibly look like. She supposed he couldn't possibly look worse than when they'd arrived. Wordlessly, she followed behind the man as he led her quickly out of the room. She watched his long white coat flare out behind him as he walked briskly ahead of her, leading her along through another long maze of hallways. Each hall looked exactly the same: plain white floors and walls, and thick heavy wooden doors closing off many hospital rooms. She had absolutely no idea where they were when the doors began to space out. She assumed this meant the rooms hidden beyond were larger than the ones she had been in. She felt her shoulders tense as she waited behind the man, staring at the door he paused to unlock and knock on before softly pushing it open. Stepping aside, he held the door for her as she slowly shuffled past, not knowing what to expect.

She stared, watching as if stepping forward would make him disappear. With an encouraging prompt from the doctor, she stepped slowly forward, the nurse turning to smile before quickly leaving along with the doctor. Kaito sat up in one of the uncomfortable beds, looking drawn and exhausted. He managed a weak smile when he noticed her standing across the room. "You can come over," he said softly, his voice hoarse and dry, as if that simple sentence were hard for him to say without passing out. Mutely, she nodded and closed the expanse of ground between them. She stared blankly at him, her mind refusing to let her speak or think through the fog in her mind. She felt like she were dreaming; talking would wake her and make him disappear forever. She stared him up and down, the torn and bloodied clothing he wore when she'd brought him were replaced by a thin pale green shirt. The pants the same terrible material and incredibly loose, Suri figure he must be freezing to death. On his left arm sat a thin bracelet, his name scrawled across it, and the date of his admission. She stared, disgusted, down at the tray of meager food on his lap. Soup that looked thin enough to be heated water, a tiny roll of bread, and an unidentifiable green slime-like substance. She wanted to be sick for him. "I don't know what it is either." he grinned, catching her expression.

"Kaito-"

"Thank you," he said, cutting her off as he looked up at her. "I would have died. But thanks to you, I didn't. You saved my life, so now I suppose we're even." he cut off to cringe harshly, his hand moving to his torso. Suri tensed, immediately wondering if she should get the doctor. He shook his head as he managed to relax, knowing what she was thinking. "No, I'll be all right. I'm too weak right now to use my magic. I'd have healed this a long time ago if I could manage it. What's that?" he questioned, eyeing her arm. Carefully, he reached forward to pull her closer. Suri nearly broke when she felt how weak and strained his grip was. "You got stitches?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She nodded as he released her arm, forgetting for a moment that he grew up in a place like this. It shouldn't be a surprise that he knew what they were. His hand shaking, he managed to spoon some of the soup water into him mouth. He struggled to swallow, pain written across his face as he screwed his eyes shut. He sighed, his eyes heavy as he forced himself to swallow another spoonful. "It's disgusting...have you eaten?" Suri immediately nodded, afraid she would gag if she even leaned closer. He gave her a look that said he knew she was lying, but he looked too tired to argue. He looked frail, his eyes straining not to fall closed. She wondered how he managed to even sit up without passing out.

"I could get a healer, Kaito. With just that, I'm sure they can at least stop the pain." Suri suggested softly, watching helplessly as he stiffened and grimaced harshly from a sharp stab of pain.

"Don't bring them here," he said stiffly. shaking his head. "The townspeople probably already disagree with our intrusion. Bring more and they'll probably riot and kick us all out. You took me ring!" he accused suddenly, catching sight of the golden band on her thumb. Guiltily, she curled her fingers around it, instinctively moving her hand behind her back.

"Yeah," she admitted in a small voice, "I'm sorry. I had to take it to make sure I got you help. If I had run back to the camp, you would have surely died. It was the fastest thing I could think of." she explained weakly, earning a wicked grin from him through his exhaustion.

"I'm not angry, I thought I'd lost it somewhere. I'm glad it's safe with you." he smiled, allowing his body to relax back into the mattress. He seemed to give up on the soup, ignoring it for the time being. "Now I remember why I hated these places. They feel so robotic. Empty and uncaring, they just stick you in a room and ignore you." he mumbled, slowly losing his fight to stay awake. Suri smiled down at him as his arm slowly fell limp across his torso. His breathing slowed, the image of pain slowly slipping free from his features. Carefully, she pulled the ring from her thumb. Cleaning the dried drop of blood, she slipped it carefully onto his finger. Taking the tray of disgusting smelling food, she placed it on a small table beside him, and slipped silently out of the room. Nodding her thanks to the doctor that waited outside, she headed for the entrance hall. Walking hesitantly up to the desk that before had seated a younger blonde woman. Now, a thin, lengthy man sat behind the heavy wooden desk, buried in a pile of paper. When she approached, he looked up to regard her with an untrusting, calculating stare.

"Can I help you, forest girl?" he grumbled in a mocking tone.

"I was just wondering if a Mr. Aletory were here? I would like to thank him for his help." Suri said stiffly, biting back a retort. She reminded herself to be careful with them while Kaito were still in their care. Who knows what they could do to him in his vulnerable state.

"I ain't seen him," the man spat in an odd tongue, confusing her for a brief moment. "Get lost, girl, you smell like dead animal." Suri dipped her head, trying hard to keep herself from drawing a weapon still strapped to her hip. She wandered from the building, blinking in the harsh sunlight. She looked around, trying to guess how late it was. It was far past noon, but she still had a few hours before sundown. Surveying her surroundings, she bit her cheek hard to try to keep back the blush from at least ten pairs of eyes staring at her as people walked past. She noticed how many of them glared at the dirt at their feet, quickening their pace as they neared only to slow again as she disappeared behind them. Sighing, she walked calmly down the ramp to the dirt road. Deciding her best chance was to just return to where she'd found him before, she wandered carefully down the long dirt road, staring at the trees just peeking out over the roofs of houses. Avoiding eye contact, she walked calmly in the direction of home only to stop just before she got there.

Eventually reaching the street corner, she sat calmly in the dirt, her back pressed against the cold stone of an old building. Passing villagers gave her odd looks, shooing loud children away as they questioned why she was there. Wrapping her arms around her knees, she stared longingly at the trees, feeling like an outcast and a disgrace. She jumped, twisting when she heard the shuffle of feet as someone slipped to the floor beside her. Her eyes fell on a small, mousey woman, who smiled calmly at her. "I remember when my village raided your forest." The statement seemed to be the woman's equivalent of a greeting. Suri stared at her, resisting the urge to turn defensive. The woman looked amused at the mixed emotions that Suri struggled to keep hidden. "It was a cruel thing, that fight. We didn't need the land. If we did, there's plenty of open field to the north. They just wanted to try to run you out. Stupid if you ask me," the woman stared ahead, watching the cold grey wall across from them as if it held something far more interesting than icy stone. "Many of the town feels the same. This area, however, is riddled with the ones who supported the raid. Many of them very well may have killed your people. Ignore their glares, they don't know anything beyond this village."

"Why did you draw attention to yourself just to apologize for something that can't be forgiven?" Suri hissed through her teeth, her shoulders aching from the tense hold she had on her knees. "Do you know a man by the name of Aletory?" she asked, not waiting for a reply to her challenge.

"The general?" the woman blinked at her, confused. "Yes, it's the big house at the end of this street, but-" Suri didn't wait to hear the rest. Scrambling to her feet, she darted down the street, watching as people cried out and dodged out of the way. Staring up at the giant stone house, she wondered who on earth would need such massive living space for just one person.

 _"General, she ran this way!"_ Suri froze, shaking herself out of the odd thought. Confused, she tried to place what was going on. She knew that sentence from somewhere, but she couldn't place where from. A lurching weight nearly dragged her to her knees. She stumbled, the world around her threatening to make her sick. She knew that voice.

 _"General, she ran this way! With the girl!" a thick, urgent voice broke into her thoughts as she stared around at the shivering trees. Her mother's gasping breath in her ear, dark strands of long hair flaring into her vision as her mother's long hair splayed in the wind. Hands supported her small body, clutching her close. She watched the world bounce and quiver as her mother ran between the tight patch of trees._

 _"Cut her off! She can't run that fast forever!" a familiar voice ordered back to the first. General Aletory. The world shifted as her mother trotted carefully to a stop. Soft lips touched her forehead as she looked up at her mother's flushed face, her feet planting softly on the floor. A smile split the exhausted features. She recognized something hidden in her mother's eyes. Now, Suri knew it was fear. Fear and resignation. She'd made a hard decision when she placed her daughter softly on her feet, giving a small but instant push._

 _"Run, Suri." her mother's voice echoed in her ears. She stared, confused up to her mother, but stumbled into the trees. "Find Haru, Suri. Just keep running, whatever happens, don't stop running." her mother called after her, turning to face the approaching yelling voices._

 _"Where's the girl?" a loud voice shouted from behind her. "You'll regret your silence, woman!"_ Suri could only guess what happened after that.

That voice. It was his. The man who'd been the reason Kaito was alive was the one who killed her mother in the raid.


	23. Chapter 22: Messenger from the Past

Chapter 22: Messenger from The Past

Stumbling to the ground, she watched her vision falter, blood roaring in her ears, and her heart threatening to pound a hole in her chest. He'd killed her. Rage quickly filled her head. Deaf to the cries of people stumbling away in terror, she slowly drew her sword with a shaking hand. She stumbled blindly up the stairs, and quickly up the long, pointless path. Pausing on the porch, she glared at the door for a long moment. Pounding hard, she poised her sword to strike, waiting for him to pull it aside. She froze, her eyed widening when she somehow managed to halt her own movements. A small girl giggled as she pulled the door open excitedly. Her face fell to confusion and fear when her eyes found the long gleaming sword in the stranger's hands. Suri stumbled back, the sword clattering to the ground as tears stung harshly at her eyes. She stared as the man who'd murdered a wife, leader, and mother ran forward to drag his own daughter away from the door. He paused when he realized who is was that was shaking harshly on the porch. He blinked, startled, and swiftly shut the door behind him as he stepped outside. "I thought you'd looked familiar," he confessed softly, watching the hate, anger and pain clouding her eyes as she glared up at him. "You were that child, weren't you? Your people didn't run. Only that woman who held a child. That's why she stuck in my memory. You were that child she carried, weren't you?" the flare of anger in her posture answered his own question. "Was she your mother?" he asked, his voice taking on a soft, calming tone.

"Shut up!" she spat, furiously reaching for the fallen blade. Quickly, he kicked out, sending the blade skidding across the wood. "Don't you dare try to talk me down, you bastard! You caused this! You caused all of this, you're the reason my mother and brother are dead!" she accused, throwing herself at him. Strong hands swept her aside, easily dodging her blind lunge. Drawing her dagger from her boot, she turned on him, a white-knuckled grip on the hilt.

"Would killing me avenge them, girl? Will that appease your pain? Would spilling more blood wash away theirs?" he said loudly, watching her quivering form as she searched for an opening. "Your allegations are true, if that quells you. Yes, the woman fell to my sword. But she died honorably, girl. She didn't beg, or cry. She said that she'd never allow me forward. To that she was correct; I never found the girl she let run ahead." Suri clenched her jaw tight, lunging forward sharply to swipe the blade at his throat. She hissed in frustration when he barely dodged the deadly blow. "Trying to kill someone in that mental state will never work, Girl." he sighed, grabbing at her wrist. "You're blind and slow." he said darkly, twisting her struggling arm hard. Unable to stop the cry, she clenched her jaw shut as pain laced up her arm. Tense, she glared up at the man, struggling now to keep her grip on the blade as her hand quickly grew numb and clumsy. "You're trying my patience," he growled, pulling her arm high to throw off her balance. She glared up at the man who had performed her both a great good and an irreparable evil, her grip on the blade quickly loosening. "Now," he grunted. "If you're quite finished throwing your tantrum, I would appreciate it if you would calm down and talk for a moment." Suri thrashed hard against him, angrily trying to pull her injured wrist free. She gasped sharply when her arm finally slipped free, and she stumbled slightly for her footing.

"Talk?" she spat furiously, squaring her shoulders as she transferred the blade to her left hand. "You think I want to talk to you? What you did to my family, my people, my mother? You want to talk? What could you possibly say to wash away the blood on your hands? What could you possibly do to make up for the pain you put us through?" Her voice had risen to an accusing shout as she struck forward, aiming the blade at the bigger man's throat. Frustrated now, the man avoided her swing and seized hold of her wrist before she could draw it back to swipe again. His free hand quickly swept up to wrestle the blade from her grasp. She managed to wriggle her arm free and lash her arm out. She felt the blade catch and drag a sharp blow across the man's chest. She pulled back, her wide, frantic eyes focusing on the gash in his shirt slowly allow a thin trickle of blood to seep through the fabric. The general's expression didn't falter as he stepped closer, his now bleeding chest almost against her own. He glowered down at her, his breath causing her hair to flutter slightly. He leaned down, his face inches from her own. She clenched her jaw tightly, returning his gaze with an intense glare.

"Are you content now, child?" he asked slowly. To her surprise, his voice wasn't venomous as she had expected. He spoke calmly, almost soothingly. "You know, I called off that search for the child that the woman placed down. I called my soldiers back to me. Maybe we would have found the child, maybe we wouldn't, I'll never know and neither will you. But your mother's sacrifice to let her child run free, it was a noble and brave choice. She made the decision to die for you. Seeing you standing before me now, I knew one day you would be at my door. Circumstance of your young friend forgotten, I am responsible for the death of your mother. You have injured me successfully. You've gotten your glimpse of my blood. I'm willing to let you make a similar choice as your mother made all those years ago. I am unarmed. It is your choice. Make your move if you wish and kill me. Spill my blood down these steps, and avenge your family. It is justified. But you will then have to look into the eyes of a young girl as she realizes that she is orphaned. That she is alone due to your hand. Your mother, wherever she is now, only you know if she would be happy with that move." Suri's hand began shaking as her knuckles turned white on the dagger in her hand, her breathing picking up as if she couldn't get a deep enough breath. "I am giving you the choice, girl. Kill me or walk away. I will not blame you. Though, I cannot say the same for my daughter."

Suri stared up as him as she slowly rose her armed hand. The blade visibly shaking as she raised the stained weapon to aim at the general's bleeding chest. His eyes remained locked onto hers, and no matter what she could do, she could not force herself to look away. The shaking grew worse. This man was the one who killed her mother. He had caused her little sister to grow up without a mother. He had forced Haru into insanity and drove him away from his home. He had caused her father to lose a partner, and a wife. He was the cause of all of the pain she had faced, and caused all forms of injuries to other families and people within the clan. He caused it. He caused all of this pain. But she couldn't bring the final blow down on this evil man. Her shoulder straining to force the blade down while something within her prevented the move. Her jaw clenched harshly, her eyes wide and staring up into his. Her chest heaving harshly, her hand pale with grip and shaking with the war waging within her. She tore her eyes away from his. The blade streaked towards his chest.

Her open palm struck hard to his chest. The blade clattering to the floor between them.

She felt the man's chest deflate slightly beneath her fingers, feeling him exhale sharply. Wordlessly, the general stepped back. She turned her hand slowly, as if in a daze, and stared at her fingers that were now stained with the blood of the man she had nearly killed. Blearily, she stumbled down the stairs of the general's porch, and onto the path leading from the house. Abandoning the sword and dagger on the wooden planks of the porch, she turned her back on the man and began running. She'd only made it a few steps down the path before she noticed the figure of a man sitting in the grass by the end of the path. Blonde hair splaying in every direction as the wind picked up slightly. He stared up at her from his seat in the lawn, a smile twitching the corners of his mouth upward. His body slumped, still in obvious strain and most likely pain from whatever movement he had made to get there.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice shaky and meek. "You're hurt, you shouldn't be here." Kaito only smiled wider at her as he strained himself to reach a standing position. He grimaced harshly, but managed to force the pain from his mind as he took a careful step forward and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Your mother would be proud," he said softly in her ear, gripping her tighter as her body began to shake uncontrollably. "Like I am now," he added, his voice indicated his smile as he spoke. Despite his weakened body, he managed to hold still as she buried her face in his shoulder, tears staining into the odd village clothing he now wore from his stay in the infirmary. Unable to hold it back now, she sobbed openly into his shoulder. He still smelled of blood and pain. His body still felt unnaturally cold. His body occasionally tensed for a moment before relaxing. She had to admit, he hid the pain well. She couldn't shake the image of him bleeding and dying in the dirt inside the Mahna camp.

"You're hurt," she stammered weakly, managing to control herself. He smiled softly as he shook his head.

"You don't need to worry about me yet," he assured as he stepped away. "We should go back to camp. Your father will be worried. Plus, who knows what chaos has amassed over the time we've spent here." His expression faltered for a split second. She was almost convinced she'd imagined it. When she blinked, a smile remained on his face. "I have to find Hana, she must be worried," he spoke over his shoulder as he began to walk away, towards the dirt road that would lead them back into the forest. After a moments hesitation, Suri followed after him.

_

Making slow progress through the dense trees, Suri paused as Kaito clenched his teeth harshly and ceased walking for a small moment to force the pain from his mind. "Are you sure you can't use your ring? I can get back on my own just fine," she urged as his weight fell onto her shoulder for a brief moment before he managed to pull himself back up and continue on.

"I don't have the energy for it. If I tried, I'll probably pass out. I don't trust where I'll end up if I'm not aware. I could end up in the middle of the ocean." Kaito's voice sounded strained, his shoulders sagging in the exhaustion that had begun to drag on his limbs. "I told you, you don't have to worry about me yet. I'll tell you when you have to worry." He offered a tight smile as he continued the trek back toward the camp. They continued on, occasionally stopping for Kaito to catch his breath, or allowing him to tense and fight against the pain that riddled through his body. What felt like years later, the camp finally came into view at the center of the clearing. Helping the drained man leaning on her shoulder, she led him to the doors and carefully pulled it open to allow them both to enter the camp.

The camp had a heavy air around it. Mourn and loss was almost pliable in the air. A small crowd of Mahna clan survivors huddled together in a corner, a tall Storm Class wizard of Fortis standing guard. The silence that filled the air as they stumbled into the center of the camp, towards the healers' tent. Pulling the entrance of the tent out of the way, Suri guided Kaito into the shelter and onto an examination table. She watched his entire body instantly relax, his lungs taking in a deep, heavy breath as he allowed himself to release the strain on his body to stay standing. He still looked deathly pale. His eyes opened after a long moment to look up at her, his lips cracked and dry. He offered a reassuring smile as a Life Class wizard approached, looking exhausted and worried as she examined the dehydrated and weak body on the table before her. Placing her hands on Kaito's chest, she took a deep breath and allowed her power to emit a pale green, shimmering haze around her fingers. She moved her hands up to his shoulders, and down to his abdomen. She paused over the wound in his side. Kaito stiffened and clenched his jaw as she helped the wound to close and mend. Pain crossed his face until it began to melt away to a calm, relaxed expression. The work that the villagers had done allowing the magical practice to mend what it originally was too late to save. Kaito's eyes began to close, and he mumbled what Suri assumed was an effort to thank the healer as he drifted off to sleep.

Nodding her thanks, Suri slipped quietly out of the tent and headed for her father's tent. Pausing outside to listen, she decided it was safe to enter and pulled open the entrance. Stepping inside, she found Wolf sitting at his desk, his eyes cast down, and his hands nestled just above his eyebrows to support his head. His fingers blocked his view of her. After a moment, he dropped his arms and looked up. Staring at her for a long moment, he stood slowly and took the seven steps to round his desk and approach her. When he spoke, his voice was uncharacteristically soft, almost hesitant. "Haru is dead, Suri. It's odd- I can't feel relieved. At the end of the day, he was still my son. When you kids were younger, he was so strong, so sweet, and so independent. And then he turned into this stranger who repeatedly threatened your life as well as mine. And I couldn't recognize my own son anymore, he was lost to me. But even after all that, all that he has put you through, I cannot be relieved that he is dead." Suri stared up at him, trying to determine his expression. He stood over her for a long moment, before catching her off guard as he wrapped his arms tightly around her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Suri. I am sorry for every pain I have caused you," he pulled away as he finished. "How is he?" Suri gave a small smile.

"He's alive," she said quietly. She fought off the tears of both her brother's death and relief of Kaito's life. "He's alive," she repeated, her voice wavering with a sob. Looking up at her father, she felt a second sob wrack her body as she watched a single tear escape his eye. He shook his head slightly, and swiped as his cheek as if surprised with himself. Glancing at her briefly, he repeated the motion for her. Swiping the tears from her cheek as gently as he could.

"I need to speak with him," he stated suddenly, straightening his back and brushing past his stunned daughter. "Is he awake?" Shaking her clouded head, she spun to chase after him as he exited his tent.

"Dad, you shouldn't disturb him. He was really weak and exhausted, I really think you should-" She cut herself short, startled when she saw the man standing before them, staring back at each of them. She tensed, picking up her foot enough to pull the dagger from her boot. She gasped as she never found the hilt. The blade was gone. She swore under her breath, remembering that she had forgotten the blade in the village, lying on the wooden porch of the general.

"Who are you?" Wolf demanded, squaring his shoulders instantly. Suri stared at him, noticing his odd clothing. He wore pants that were blue, but no natural color. His shirt was a pure white, and far too thin to be of anything from the forest. Sensing the alarm in the people around him, the man raised his hands in surrender.  
"Δεν είμαι απειλή, είμαι απλά ψάχνουν για τον φίλο μου." His voice was light and calm as he glanced quickly between Suri and her father. Confused glances were exchanged as word quickly spread about the strange man. Wolf looked surprised, but refused to let his guard down.

"I'm sorry, but… I cannot understand you." Wolf shook his head softly as he spoke. The man was hall, his black hair fell messily to his chin. His shirt was dirty, and slightly torn in random places as if he'd been in a fight. His pants were odd, they were made of something that seemed oddly soft. His clothing reminded her of the odd clothes of the villagers, but he seemed different from even them. The man looked startled, and then laughed openly.

"I apologize," the stranger spoke again, catching the two by surprise. "I'm here looking for a friend. I didn't mean to concern you."

"We have seen no newcomer or passerby in years. I'm afraid your friend is not-"

"He's been gone for years, Sir," the man cut in, looking almost desperate. "Eleven years, in fact. He ran in the direction of this forest. All I want to know is if that boy came here, and if not, I will leave your land." As he spoke, Suri glanced quickly at her father, and bit her lip as she turned her gaze to the healers' tent, where she knew the one this stranger was looking for rested calmly. "He would have been with a newborn child, his hair-"

"He's here," Suri broke in, earning a startled expression from both the stranger and her father. "He's here, Kouta." She turned before either man could respond. She began to lead them towards the healers' tent, her legs feeling like stones as she reached for the tent entrance. She drew her hand back, startled when it was pulled aside by another hand from within the tent. Kaito stood tall, and almost looked like his normal self. Almost. His eyes found the odd man before him. After a short moment of confusion, reorganization crossed his face, quickly followed by a mix of emotions too quick to identify.

"Kouta?" he gasped, wide-eyed. "What are you doing here, how-how did you get here?" His excitement ceased when he caught sight of Wolf. Instantly, he dropped to his knee and lowered his head. "I apologize for returning to your land. I will leave immediately." Wolf shook his head sharply, taking his attention away from the stranger. "But I wanted to thank you, Wolf. Thank you for taking me and Hana in all those years ago and offering us the shelter we needed. I apologize for any troubles I have caused you and your clan. I-"

"Get off of your knees, Boy," Wolf ordered sternly, glowering down at the man hesitantly meeting his gaze. After a long moment of thought, Kaito slowly climbed to his feet. "You were told to leave this place immediately, Kaito. Yet you stayed to fight a battle that was not yours. You were willing to die in a battle you were ordered to stay out of. And then you have the gall to thank me? I think you have the wrong ideas about gratitude, Boy." Kaito stared at him, a look of utter confusion on his face. "I revoke my previous punishment. Kaito Yurushi, you are no longer banished from the clan." As he spoke, a wicked grin spread across Kaito's face. Laughing wildly, Kaito looked like he wanted to jump and pass out at the same time in his relief. Suri had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from laughing at the expression Wolf gave when Kaito shoved himself forward and wrapped his arms around the startled man in a tight hug. After a split second, Kaito's body visible tensed and he stumbled back, his eyes wide in alarm. Mumbling an apology, he lowered his eyes to his shoes. Clearing his throat, Wolf continued with only a slight chuckle forcing his voice to quiver. "Now, I believe we have a visitor that has come what I assume to be quite the distance to get here," he spoke as he turned an expectant gaze to the slightly confused Kouta.

"It's wonderful to see you after all this time, my friend. But I'm afraid I do not come baring happy news. May we speak privately for a moment?" Kouta asked as he glanced carefully to the two he considered strangers. Wolf considered for a moment before giving a small nod and turning to walk away. He glared at Suri over his shoulder until she reluctantly followed him away.

_

It felt like they talked forever. Suri sat in the grass outside of her tent. She leaned back, trusting the taut skin to support her. Wolf stood beside her, occasionally running a calming hand over her soft hair. She'd been watching Kaito and the newcomer speak for the past five minutes, having refrained for the longest time. She'd finally given in and allowed her gaze to fall upon the serious face of the man she'd come to love. The crease between his eyebrows gave away the worry he clearly felt. Kouta spoke nearly the entire time, and though Suri was too far to hear what exactly was being said, she knew it couldn't be good. An eternity later, both of the men ceased their speaking. Kaito looked lost in thought, like he was fighting to decide on what to do. After a two minute lapse, Kaito drew in a deep breath before speaking quickly to Kouta, who nodded.

She looked up now as Kaito glanced briefly around the camp before his gaze fell on her. Kouta trailing a few feet behind, he crossed the expanse of land towards her. Ignoring Wolf for the time being, Kaito gave a strained smile as he extended a hand towards her. Confused, she allowed him to help her to her feet. For a long moment, neither spoke. She searched his expression, putting the pieces together as she took in his pained expression.

"You have to go. Don't you?" she asked, refusing to allow her voice to portray her fear of the answer. After a moment of no answer, he wrapped his arms securely around her. He held her tightly, his breathing tickling her ear as he buried his face in her hair.

"Yeah," he mumbled painfully, his hands balled into fists against her back. "Yeah, I do. I have to go." He pulled away now, giving a highly unconvincing reassuring smile. "Part of me wants to ask you to come with me," he looked to Wolf now as he finished, "But I could never ask you to leave your family, your home, for me. Even now I can't be that selfish. You have to stay here and be with your family." His hand trailed through her hair as he spoke, his blue eyes searching hers. He looked strained for a long moment before his imaginary restraints broke and he leaned forward too fast for her to realize. His lips were warm on hers, so much warmer than he had been mere hours before. She felt herself lean into him as his arms encircled him again. She felt her heart contract harshly, or maybe it was her stomach. She couldn't tell. She felt his thumb brush carefully over her cheek as he pulled away, swiping at a tear she hadn't noticed fall. He smiled sadly down at her as he released her and stepped away. He took a deep breath and turned his eyes to the father of the girl he had just openly kissed in front of him. "Wolf, I have one favor to ask." Wolf stared at him expectantly for a long moment. Suri watched his shoulders expand as he breathed. She couldn't help but remember how little they had moved when he lie on the healers bed outside of the Mahna camp. She was snapped out of her memory when she heard him speak again, "Please keep my sister safe. This is her home. I will not give her the option to accompany me to my village. Please be sure she remains here and stays out of danger." He dipped his head in thanks as Wolf gave a small nod of agreement. Kaito touched his lips softly to Suri's forehead before turning away. She watched, shocked into silence, as Kaito entered his tent to emerge a brief moment later with a small bag in one hand, and his staff in another. He grinned broadly at Kouta's unheard comment before both turned and disappeared out the camps entrance. Suri jolted hard when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Suri," Wolf said slowly, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Look at me." Tearing her eyes from the door of the camp, she turned her gaze to her father, who looked down at her with a soft expression. She stared at him for a long time, her mind racing to find a conclusion. She stared desperately up at her father as she finally reached one.

"Please," she whispered, her voice sounded far away and scared. Wolf stared at her for a long time, his eyes searching her face. He knew full well what her request was. His eyes closed as he drew in and released a heavy breath. He gave a tight smile, and allowed himself the nod he knew she was begging for. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist as she in turn secured hers around his neck. Pulling away, she gathered her bow and quiver from the floor outside of her tent where she had been kneeling. Biting her lip as she approached her forlorn looking father, she smiled as she threw her arms around him a second time. "I love you," she mumbled in his ear as he smoothed her hair down repeatedly.

"Come home safe, Kid," he mumbled in return. She felt him pry his arms away from her as he gave a final smile as she turned away. Taking a deep breath as she stepped forward, she pushed off and broke into a sprint as she followed the path Kaito had taken from her home. She ran west, towards the unknown land none from her clan had ever crossed. She shouted a greeting as she caught sight of the familiar figure retreating into the forest.

 _ **The End. Maybe.**_


End file.
